The projects were financed through debt funding from World Bank (Rs 14,900 crore) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Rs 38,722 crore), with gross budgetary support accounting for the remaining amount. (Image: DFCCIL)Among the projects that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated in Vadodara on Tuesday were the last three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), together covering 326 kilometres and developed at a cost of over Rs 20,700 crore.These three sections between Gujarat and Maharashtra — New Sanand (N)-New Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale, New Saphale-New Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) — mark the completion of the 1,506-km WDFC, which runs from JNPT in Navi Mumbai to Dadri (Uttar Pradesh) near Delhi.Traffic on the western corridor mainly comprises ISO containers from JNPT and Mumbai Port in Maharashtra, and Pipavav, Mundra and Kandla ports in Gujarat, headed for Inland Container Depots (ICDs) located in north India, mostly at Tughlakabad (Delhi), Dadri (UP), Dhandari Kalan (Punjab) and Khatuwas (Rajasthan). The corridor is also expected to see the transport of fertilisers, foodgrain, salt, coal, iron, steel and cement.Read | PM Modi's fresh UPA-era reminder to Gen Z, and a 'Naaraaz Fufaji' replugWith the last remaining stretch on the WDFC, between Vaitarna (Saphale) and JNPT in Maharashtra, now operational, freight loading on the corridor is expected to increase further, driven by the direct connectivity to JNPT.The 1,337-km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) runs from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Sonnagar (Bihar), and caters mostly to coal and mineral traffic from eastern India. The EDFC has two distinct segments — an electrified double-line segment of 936 km between Sonnagar (Bihar) and Dadri (UP), and an electrified single-track segment of 401 km between Ludhiana (Sahnewal) in Punjab and Khurja in UP.The alignment of the EDFC, which was fully commissioned in October 2023, takes a detour to bypass densely populated towns like Mirzapur, Allahabad, Kanpur, Etawah, Firozabad, Tundla, Hathras, Aligarh, Hapur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Ambala, Rajpura, Sirhind, Doraha and Sahnewal.These special freight corridors are one of the biggest infrastructure projects undertaken by the Railways. Currently, a total of about 426 freight trains run on both corridors daily.Story continues below this adWhile the current share of freight traffic by rail is around 27%, the National Rail Plan has envisaged an increase to 45% by 2030 i.e 3,000 million tonnes. The Railways recorded its highest ever loading of 1,670 million tonnes in the 2025-26 financial year.Due to their separation from the passenger network, the DFCs offer reduced transit time, less cost, and last mile connectivity at certain places.According to Railways data, the average speed of trains on DFCs was over 50 kmph, double the average speed of freight trains on the non-DFC network. In April and May, the speed was 44.9 kmph and 44.7 respectively on the EDFC, and 53.6 kmph and 52.3 kmph respectively on the WDFC.In Indian Railways, freight revenue plays a crucial role in subsidising passenger travel, with freight services accounting for over 65 per cent of the Railways’ total earnings.Story continues below this adEarlier, due to oversaturation of the existing trunk routes — Howrah-Delhi on the eastern corridor and Mumbai-Delhi on the western corridor — with line capacity utilisation varying between 115 per cent and 150 per cent, Railways saw a dip in freight traffic.This led to the conceptualisation of the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) along the eastern and western routes, which would be separated from the passenger network. The importance of the DFCs can be gauged from the fact that the National Highways along these corridors, comprising 0.5 per cent of the road network, account for almost 40 per cent of the total road freight.The DFC project was first discussed at a Japan-India meeting in April 2005. It was included in the declaration of co-operation signed between the two sides. A feasibility study report was prepared in October 2007 and a special purpose vehicle — the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) — was set up for construction, operation and maintenance of the corridors.The projects were financed through debt funding from World Bank (Rs 14,900 crore) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Rs 38,722 crore), with gross budgetary support accounting for the remaining amount.Story continues below this adIn its Budget this year, the government announced plans for a third corridor, connecting Dankuni in West Bengal to Surat in Gujarat. The detailed project report is being prepared.Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays a critical role in covering India's massive infrastructure sectors, providing in-depth reporting on the connectivity lifelines of the nation. Expertise & Focus Areas: Mishra’s journalism is focused on two of the country's most capital-intensive and public-facing ministries: Ministry of Railways: Tracking the operations, safety, and development of India's vast railway network. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Covering policy decisions, infrastructure projects, and highway development. What sets Mishra apart is his rigorous use of the Right to Information (RTI) Actas a primary tool for news gathering. By relying on official data and government records, he ensures a high degree of accuracy and trustworthiness in his reporting. This data-driven approach has resulted in numerous impactful reports that hold public institutions accountable and bring transparency to government operations. Find all stories by Dheeraj Mishra here ... Read More Tags:Express ExplainedIndian Railways