Dedicated Freight Corridors(DFC): These are freight-only railway lines to move goods between industrial heartlands in the North and ports on the Eastern and Western coasts.
The DFC consists of two arms.
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Eastern DFC:
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It is a 1,839-km line that starts from Sahnewal (Ludhiana) in Punjab and ends at Dankuni in West Bengal.
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It is being majorly funded by the World Bank.
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Western DFC:
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It is around 1,500-km line that starts from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to JNPT in Mumbai, touching all major ports along the way.
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It is being majorly funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency.
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Benefits of DFCs:
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These freight corridors will help reduce the cost and allow faster transportation.
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Around 70% of the freight trains currently running on the Indian Railway network are slated to shift to the freight corridors, leaving the paths open for more passenger trains.
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Tracks on DFC are designed to carry heavier loads than most of Indian Railways.
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DFC will get track access charge from the parent Indian Railways and will also generate its own freight business.
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The DFCs will allow much shorter transit times from freight source to destination which means it will reduce the time by up to 50% in some cases.
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited(DFCCIL): It is a Public Sector Undertaking(PSU) corporation run by the Ministry of Railways to undertake planning, development, and mobilisation of financial resources and construction, maintenance and operation of the Dedicated Freight Corridors(DFC).
