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The 1,337 km stretch forming the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) has been completed, officials at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) said on Friday, October 13, 2023.
“The first freight train powered by electric traction from New Sahnewal in Ludhiana to New Khurja via New Khatauli station in Uttar Pradesh was run on October 11 across a stretch of 401 km,” said R.K. Jain, managing director, DFCCIL.
Of the total revised cost of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) of ₹1.24 lakh crore, the EDFC has cost ₹51,000 crore, Mr. Jain told The Hindu . The revised cost for WDFC is ₹72,000 crore.
While DFCCIL has completed the EDFC stretch from Ludhiana to Sonnagar in Bihar (1,337 km), the further proposed extension by 538 km to Dankuni in West Bengal via Gomoh and Andal will not be built by DFCCIL. “The Ministry of Railways is contemplating an alternative mode,” said a DFCCIL official.
Of the 2,843 km of the Project, 83.8% has been commissioned. The last leg from Khurja to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust is the most challenging bit, the official said. The nearly 100-km stretch from Vaitarna to JNPT in Maharashtra is being delayed by Tata Projects, the official added.
In an eight-hour shift, a driver would cover 150-200 km at 20-25 kmph, but with speed increasing to 50-60 kmph, the train can cover 400-500 km, saving 18 to 20 hours on an end-to-end route, Mr. Jain said.
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