Final Vaitarna–JNPT stretch of WDFC likely to be completed by October
MUMBAI : The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is eyeing October 2025 to compete the final segment of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), finishing the massive corridor project ahead of the scheduled December commissioning, Financial Express reported citing a DFCCIL official.
Once the Vaitarna–JNPT section is ready, DFCCIL will have completed the construction of the 1,504-km long WDFC, which runs from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to JNPT in Navi Mumbai.
The first leg of dedicated freight corridor operations in Maharashtra began on 27 April with a successful speed trial on the 75-km New Umbergaon Road–New Saphale stretch.
“This line is fully ready with track, overhead equipment (OHE) and signalling and telecommunication systems. This line will be operational after the approval from the railway board. On the remaining 32 km stretch, the land has been acquired, and the track linking work is currently under progress,” the official was quoted as saying by FE.
WDFC’s original commissioning was planned for March 2025 but was delayed to December due to executional challenges.
Experts cited in the FE report caution that the monsoon could affect work progress in the final phase of construction.
With EDFC already commissioned in 2024, both corridors are set to decongest freight traffic, cut logistics costs, and enhance operational efficiency.
Though DFCs make up just 4 per cent of Indian Railways’ total network, they are already handling 14 per cent of all freight traffic on rail network.
DFC trains clock average speeds of 55–60 kmph—over twice the 18–20 kmph average of regular Indian Railways freight trains.
While passenger services run at a loss, DFCs are emerging as profitable revenue drivers for Indian Railways.
According to the FE report, DFCCIL MD Praveen Kumar had earlier said that the cost of these two corridors is Rs 1.24 lakh crore, and the financial rate of return is 9 per cent.
WDFC primarily moves container cargo along with imported coal, fertilisers, and foodgrains, while EDFC links northern power plants in UP, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan to eastern coal fields.
