SunstarTV Bureau: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates New Khurja-New Bhaupur section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) to the nation, through video conferencing.
“These freight corridors will play a major role in making India self-reliant. Be it traders, farmers or consumers, everyone will be benefitted from these,” PM Narendra Modi.
The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) project is part of India’s Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) programme, which aims to create one of the world’s biggest cargo operations.
The EDFC project involves the construction of a 1,839km-long freight line extending from Ludhiana in the Indian state of Punjab to Dankuni near Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal.
The project is being implemented by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), a special purpose vehicle established by the Ministry of Indian Railways for the construction, operation and maintenance of the dedicated freight corridors. DFCCIL is also responsible for planning, development, mobilisation of financial resources and operation of the DFCs.
The main objective of the project is to support freight movement on the Eastern Corridor, which starts in West Bengal, and passes through the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana before finally ending at Punjab.
The project will ease congestion in the existing railway system, reduce travel time for passenger trains, and create additional rail transport and freight capacities.
