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India’s Freight Corridor Gains Spur Push for National Grid
India has built special railway tracks just for carrying goods.
These tracks let freight trains travel much faster than regular goods trains.
Nearly 15% of railway freight has moved onto the new corridor.
About 435 trains use it now, and the tracks are more than 90% utilised.
Longer and heavier trains can move goods more efficiently and may reduce road traffic and pollution.
The article says India needs one connected freight network linking ports, factories and markets.
It also says the Railways should attract more cargo beyond coal, including automobiles, consumer goods and online shopping deliveries.
A proposed financing model could help build more corridors without placing all the cost on the government.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor now covers 2,843 km across eastern and western sections.
Nearly 15% of railway freight traffic has shifted to the corridor in less than four years.
About 435 trains now use the corridor, with utilisation exceeding 90%.
Faster trains, double-stack containers and heavier loads have reduced logistics costs and highway congestion.
The article calls for a pan-India freight grid and supports a Hybrid Annuity Model for the proposed East-West corridor.
- Who
- The Indian Railways, the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are central to the development described.
- What
- The Dedicated Freight Corridor is expanding, while the article advocates a connected pan-India freight grid and new financing for additional corridors.
- Where
- The corridor spans eastern and western India, covering 2,843 km; the proposed East-West corridor would add 2,100 km.
- When
- The eastern section was commissioned less than four years ago; the article does not specify the date of the western inauguration.
- Why
- To increase freight capacity, improve supply-chain reliability, reduce logistics costs and emissions, support manufacturing, and improve railway finances.
Key facts
- Corridor length
- 2,843 km, including the eastern and western sections
- Freight shift
- Nearly 15% of railway freight traffic has shifted to the corridor
- Current usage
- About 435 trains use the corridor, compared with roughly 240 in 2024
- Train speed
- Nearly 70 km/hour, or about 2.5 times the speed of conventional goods trains
- Utilisation
- More than 90%, with the western corridor reaching 85% of potential capacity before full-scale operations
- Proposed East-West corridor
- A 2,100-km project to be developed through a Hybrid Annuity Model
- Freight concentration
- Coal accounts for nearly half of railway freight loading
Sources
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