A man was killed during an “attempted detonation” on railway tracks in Punjab’s Patiala district on the night of Monday (April 27) and Tuesday on the Rajpura-Ambala railway line.The incident occurred on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) stretch near the Shambhu railway station. Minor damage to the track was reported, and services were resumed within a few hours.The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways. It is responsible for planning, developing, constructing and operating dedicated freight corridors across India to enable faster and more efficient movement of goods by rail.In 2005, the concept of dedicated freight corridors was proposed as part of efforts to decongest existing railway networks and improve logistics infrastructure. Subsequently, DFCCIL was formally incorporated on October 30, 2006, to implement these projects.There are two dedicated freight corridors in India — the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. The 1,839-km-long EDFC stretches from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal, while the 1,506-km-long WDFC runs from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal in Maharashtra to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.As per Railways data, in 2024, an average of 251 trains operated daily on the DFCs, which increased to about 403 freight trains per day in the financial year 2025.The WDFC is one of India’s largest rail infrastructure projects, developed by DFCCIL to streamline freight movement between northern and western India. It passes through Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat and cost around Rs 80,000 crore. It is largely funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, along with the Government of India.Story continues below this adAlso in Explained | Mamata’s tampering charge: Between polling and counting, how EVMs are stored in strongroomsThe EDFC was developed by DFCCIL, stretching from Sahnewal in Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal and passing through Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The corridor is designed as a double-line, fully electrified freight route to handle heavy and long-haul goods trains at higher speeds. It was funded by the World Bank and the Government of India at a cost of around Rs 50,000 crore.The commoditiesThe corridor has significantly improved freight movement, especially for coal, steel, grains and other bulk commodities, while also reducing congestion on the existing passenger railway network. The type of freight carried on this corridor mostly includes coal transported to thermal power plants in northern India. Other goods include steel, cement, petroleum products, fertilisers, containers and industrial raw materials.From Punjab, there is significant movement of food grains such as wheat and rice, while incoming freight mainly includes coal, fertilisers, and raw materials for industry. This makes the Punjab an important link for both agricultural dispatch and industrial supply.Not enough security checksNotably, two low-intensity blasts have occurred on this stretch in Punjab within 95 days — the first on January 23 near Sirhind railway station in Fatehgarh Sahib district and the second one this week.Story continues below this adUnion Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, who visited the spot at Shambhu railway station, said, “This is the second such incident within a span of three months and within a distance of approximately 35 km… Preliminary assessments suggest that miscreants may be exploiting easy access routes from the highway to target railway tracks.”He further stated that there are indications of external involvement, attempting to destabilise the region by targeting critical infrastructure. These acts, he noted, are not only security threats but also direct attempts to disrupt economic activity in the state.Bittu announced that the Railways will intensify 24-hour patrolling along the EDFC and significantly expand surveillance coverage. At present, 173 CCTV cameras have already been installed in the Punjab region of the Ambala Division, and further installations are underway. Special attention will be given to secluded and vulnerable sections of the corridor, where advanced monitoring methods, including drone surveillance, will be deployed. In addition, key railway personnel will conduct continuous ground patrols to ensure track safety.