PM Modi to inaugurate command centre of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor today

AHMEDABAD : Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the operations control centre of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor today and some portions of the infrastructure project taken up to decongest the railway network.

He will also inaugurate the 401-km new Khurja Junction-Sanehwal section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and the 224-km new Makarpura Junction-Gholvad section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC).

This crucial section of the EDFC will increase connectivity across major agricultural and industrial regions in north India, passing through 12 districts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, a statement from the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC) said.

The 244-km section on the WDFC will connect five districts of Gujarat — Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari and Valsad, it said.

The state-of-the-art operations control centre (OCC) of the WDFC in Ahmedabad will serve as the command centre for the 1,506-km corridor.

Connected to all WDFC stations and the Indian Railways, the OCC utilises the integrated train management system, the dedicated freight information system and the supervisor control and data acquisition system for real-time monitoring, control and efficient planning of freight train operations.

With freight trains operating at a maximum speed of 100 kmph, the EDFC has reduced the transit time for coal transportation from eastern India to regional power plants from 35 hours to less than 20 hours, while the WFDC has expedited the transportation of perishable goods such as milk, vegetables, fruits and farm products, the statement said.

The EDFC is now 100 per cent complete and every day more than 150 trains operate at an average speed of 50-60 kmph, it said.

The WDFC is 81 per cent complete with more than 100 trains running at an average speed of 50-55 kmph daily, the DFCC statement said.