3 min readNew DelhiFeb 12, 2026 10:11 PM IST
The Railways board has directed the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) to modify or update the detailed project report (DPR) of the newly announced Dankuni-Surat Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).
The board has asked the agency to calculate the total expenditure required for the project with the current cost and completion cost. The DFCCIL is a public sector undertaking (PSU), which has built the eastern and western dedicated freight corridors.
The new DFC is around 2,100-km-long, which starts from Dankuni (West Bengal) and terminates at Surat (Gujarat). Apart from West Bengal and Gujarat, it traverses through Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
The project was formally announced in this year’s budget for powering the railways’ freight loading. Its DPR was prepared earlier, but the project couldn’t be taken forward. Officials said that since DFCCIL has already acquired capabilities for such projects, it is very likely that the new freight corridor also will be built by them only.
“Optimum technical standards for this new DFC need to be formalized/adopted, in which assimilation of the latest technological advancements in freight logistics should be considered. Features like 2*25 kv (high-capacity electrification systems), nil LCs (level crossings), double stack container, advance signaling system like Kavach etc may be considered,” said the Railway Board in its letter to DFCCIL on Wednesday.
It also asked the company to divide the new DFC into suitable areas for early and simultaneous execution. “The core team for each area should be finalized and be stationed in the field. Pre-construction activities related to the project be listed and preparation of contract documents may be initiated,” the board said.
It said provision should be made for an adequate number of Gati Shakti terminals, logistics hubs etc at suitable locations to maximise the non-fare revenue generation. “Assessment for optimum manpower for the corridor may be made along with requirements of personnel from IR (Indian Railways),” it said.
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The 1337-km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), which runs from Ludhiana to Sonnagar, is fully operational. Whereas, the 1506-km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri is 93% operational. The last 102-km stretch from Vaitarna to JNP is scheduled to be operational by March 31, 2026.
The total freight loading in Railways in FY25 was over 1,600 million tonnes (MT), which was the all-time highest. Railways has projected that the total loading in the current fiscal will be 1,700MT.
