Trains will not need to slow down on new 351-kilometre dedicated freight corridors

NEW DELHI: Unlike all other rail routes, the freight trains on the 351-km New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor won’t need to slow down all along this stretch. Sources said this will be one of the unique features of the two dedicated corridors.

An official said the train that was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday at a designated speed of 60 kmph clocked 59.6 km per hour during the full run. While the design speed of even the fastest passenger trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express is more, the average speed falls since on several stretches there have to slow down.

“One of the reasons why no train would be required to slow down is our good maintenance practice, which would be followed strictly,” the railway official said. The work on both Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors gained speed in the past few months after the PM held a review meeting on the progress. While expressing displeasure over the delay, he had asked railway minister Piyush Goyal to hold a weekly review meeting.