The World Bank has recently extended its financial support to India for the completion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) between Sonnagar in Bihar and Dankuni in West Bengal. This is the final segment of the EDFC that was initially slated for construction under the public-private partnership model. As of now, all other parts of the EDFC are funded by a loan from the World Bank, except this last stretch from Bihar to West Bengal.
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor: The Basics
Stretching over a route length of 1856 kilometers, the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor starts from Dankuni in West Bengal and ends at Ludhiana in Punjab. Its path covers six states – Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The EDFC is just one among the multiple freight corridors in India.
Notably, the corridor has two primary objectives. Firstly, it aims to enhance the rail transport capacity, improve service quality, and boost overall freight throughput. Secondly, it focuses on institutional development, assisting both the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. (DFCCIL) and the Ministry of Railways (MOR) in enhancing their capabilities to optimally utilize the heavy haul freight systems.
Role of DFCCIL and Total Project Cost
DFCCIL, functioning under the Ministry of Railways, serves as a special purpose vehicle with the responsibility of planning and successfully completing 3,306 kilometers of Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs). This includes the Western Freight Corridor and the Eastern Freight Corridor, which spans 1,856 kilometers.
The overall cost of this project stands at an estimated ₹81,000 crores. With the completion of the DFCs project, the existing over-saturated paths will experience significant decongestion. This, in turn, will improve the punctuality of passenger trains significantly.
Western Dedicated Freight Corridor: An Overview
The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, a significant part of DFCs, runs for 1,504 kilometers. It starts at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and extends till Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which is the country’s largest container port located near Mumbai. The corridor passes through Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
To sum up, the financial backing from the World Bank will play a crucial role in concluding the pending last leg of the construction between Bihar and West Bengal under Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. This investment will reinforce India’s infrastructure and bolster the regional economies by improving transportation capacities.
