Two stretches of freight corridor project to start operations by 2012 end

NEW DELHI: Two stretches of the dedicated freight corridor project are expected to commence operations by the end of 2014, two years ahead of schedule, top officials said.

The Rs 77,000-crore dedicated freight corridor project will build new tracks to transport containers and goods at speeds up to 100 km per hour, reducing travel time by a third, and creating one of the world’s largest and freight operations built with the latest technology.

The sections that are likely to be completed early include 120 km between Mughalsarai in Uttar Pradesh and Sonnagar in Bihar and 140 km between Surat in Gujarat and Vasai Road in Maharashtra.

“We have had discussions on this and the government wants the freight corridor to open in stretches,” said a senior official of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCCIL), a special purpose vehicle under the ministry of railways.

Indian Railways Financial Commissioner Pompa Babbar told ET that the government was open to the idea of running trains on stretches where work gets completed. The entire 3,300-km dedicated rail corridor is divided in two parts, western and eastern.

Japanese lending agency JICA will be funding the 1,490-km western corridor stretching from Dadri in Haryana to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. On the other hand, World Bank and internal accruals of railways would provide financing for the 1,800-km Eastern corridor.