Freight corridors will help in development of new growth centres in India: PM Modi

New Delhi [India], January 7 : The eastern and the western dedicated freight corridors are being seen as a game-changer for India and will help in the development of new growth centres in different parts of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
"The eastern and the western dedicated freight corridors are being seen as a game-changer for India. It will help in the development of new growth centres in different parts of the country. It will work as the source of development for many parts of the nation," the Prime Minister said while inaugurating the 306 kilometres long Rewari-Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC).
PM Modi also flagged off the Double Stack Long Haul container train on electric traction from New Ateli-New Kishangarh during the virtual event. The train is 1.5 kilometre in length.
"Today, new speed is added to our continuous efforts to improve the infrastructure of the country. In the past few days, the country carried out many development works including money transferred to farmers' accounts digitally, the construction of AIIMS in Gujarat's Rajkot, and IIM in Odisha's Sambalpur started. When the start of the year is good then the coming year is bound to be great. We have accomplished all this during our fight with COVID-19," he said.
The Prime Minister said that the emergency use approval to two 'made in India' COVID-19 vaccines has instilled a new confidence in the people of the country.
As per an official statement, the Rewari - Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is situated between Haryana and Rajasthan and consists of nine newly built DFC stations in which six are crossing stations viz. New Dabla, New Bhagega, New Sri Madhopur, New Pachar Malikpur, New Sakun, and New Kishangarh while the other three in Rewari, New Ateli and New Phulera are junction stations.
Earlier the 351-km New Bhaupur- New Khurja section of the Eastern dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister on December 29, 2020.
Notably, With the inauguration of this section, seamless connectivity between the WDFC and EDFC will be achieved.
As per the statement, the Double Stack Long Haul Container Train operation will have an enhanced axle load of 25 tons.
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) will run freight trains at the maximum speed of 100 km per hour as against the current maximum speed of 75 kmph on Indian Railway tracks whereas the average speed of freight trains will also be increased from the existing speed of 26 kmph on Indian Railways lines to 70 kmph on DFC.
Governors and Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Haryana along with Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were also present at the occasion.