The entire 1337 kilometre (km) length of the Rs 51,000-crore Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) was declared operational on Friday. This was possible after the successful trail run of the first freight train over the 401-kilometre long New Sahnewal (Punjab) – to New Khurja (Uttar Pradesh) section of the EDFC.
The first commercial service on this route is scheduled for November 1. Its counterpart, the 1046 km long Western DFC connecting Khurja to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Maharashtra) is estimated to cost Rs 72,000 crore when complete during the next fiscal. “More than 95% of the total DFC will be completed by March 2024,” a statement from Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) said while adding that the entire corridor is ‘at an advanced stage of completion.’
