Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) - A Brief Overview

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) is a high speed and high capacity railway corridor that is exclusively meant for the transportation of freight or in other words goods and commodities. DFC involves the seamless integration of better infrastructure and state of the art technology. This article shares the economic benefits of the Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) established in 2006 to oversee its development.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

Dedicated Freight Corridor – Benefits

Freight Transportation is the fulcrum in the growth of the Indian Economy. A nation like India can benefit in the following areas due to Dedicated Freight Corridors.

1. Logistics costs will be reduced.
2. Higher energy efficiency.
3. Faster movement of goods
4. It is Environment friendly
5. Helps in generating more employment.
6. Boost for Real Estate Sector.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) – Introduction

1. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
2. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is a business establishment operated by the Railways Ministry of the Government of India.
3. It engages in the planning and development, deployment of monetary resources, building, upkeep, and the operation of the DFCs.
4. The organisation was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 on 30^th October 2006.
5. DFCCIL has been assigned the status of ‘special purpose vehicle’ by the Indian government.

Two Arms of Dedicated Freight Corridor

There are two arms of the DFC:

1. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)
   • Stretches from Sahnewal (Ludhiana) in Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal and covers the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal
   • The majority of EDFC is being funded by the World Bank
2. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)
   • Stretches from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai and covers the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh
   • The Japan International Cooperation Agency is the major funding authority for WDFC

DFCCIL’s Mission

1. To build a corridor with appropriate technology that enables Indian railways to regain its market share of freight transport by creating additional capacity and guaranteeing efficient, reliable, safe, and cheaper options for mobility to its customers.
2. To set up Multimodal logistic parks along the DFC to provide complete transport solution to customers.
3. To support the government’s initiatives toward ecological sustainability by encouraging users to adopt railways as the most environment-friendly mode for their transport requirements.

UPSC aspirants can also refer to the following links for exam preparation:

Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)

Consider the Following Statements

1. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is from Ludhiana in Punjab to Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai.
2. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor is from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Dankuni in West Bengal
3. East Coast Dedicated Freight Corridor covering 1,100 km is from Kharagpur to Vijayawada
4. South-West Dedicated Freight Corridor covers a distance of 890 km from Kochi to Goa

Which of the following options is true?

A) Only 3 is True

B) All the 4 statements are False.

C) Only 1, 2, and 3 are true.

D) None of the Statements are False.

Answer: A

Solution:

Statement 1: Western Dedicated Freight Corridor connects Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai and Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.

Statement 2: Eastern Dedicated Corridor connects Dakuni in West Bengal and Ludhiana in Punjab.

Statement 4: South-West Dedicated Freight Corridor connects Chennai and Goa.

Refer to the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the prelims and mains examination at the linked article and accordingly start your preparation for the upcoming civil services exam.

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