India’s First Double Stack Long-haul Container Train- Highlights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first double-stack long-haul container train of the world on the Rewari-Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) on January 7.

Key Points

• PM Modi also inaugurated the 306km-long Rewari-Madar section of the Western DFC in the same event.
• After the launch of the New Khurja-New Bhaupur section of the DFC, the average speed of freight trains has almost tripled in the particular section.
• The first double-stack long-haul container train was flagged off from New Ateli in Haryana to New Kishanganj in Rajasthan.
• After flagging-off the container train, India has joined select countries in the world.
• One container train carries 360 Ten Feet Container Equivalent Units (TEU) which is equal to 270 high capacity trailer trucks.
• The western dedicated freight corridor will make agriculture and allied businesses in Rajasthan and Haryana easier and will also impart new energy into cities like Jaipur, Mahendragarh, Sikar, and Ajmer.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India is currently constructing the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (1875 km) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (1506 km). The EDFC starts from Sahnewal near Ludhiana and will pass through Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar to terminate at West Bengal’s Dankuni. The Western Corridor that connects Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai will cover Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra of WDFC.