PM Modi Dedicates Western Freight Corridor to Nation, Marking Full Completion of India's DFC Network

Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially dedicated three key remaining sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) to the nation during a public event in Vadodara, Gujarat. Developed at a cumulative cost exceeding ₹20,700 crore, the newly completed stretches—Sanand North to Makarpura, New Umbergaon to New Saphale, and New Saphale to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT)—cover a total length of 326 route kilometres. With the commissioning of these sections, the 1,506-kilometre Western DFC connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh directly to JNPT in Navi Mumbai is now fully operational. Together with the previously completed 1,337-kilometre Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor running from Ludhiana to Sonnagar, India's national freight corridor infrastructure has achieved full operational completion across a total network length of over 2,800 kilometres. Constructed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited with technical and financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the corridor creates an exclusive broad-gauge rail network reserved solely for heavy-haul container and goods trains. The operationalisation of the full freight network reduces average rail transit times between northern industrial hubs and western maritime ports from 66 hours to approximately 58 hours. By diverting heavy freight traffic off existing mixed-use tracks, the project significantly lowers logistics costs, speeds up export-import trade, and decongests passenger train routes across multiple states. Authorities project that the dedicated corridor will form a vital backbone for national manufacturing, supply chain efficiency, and industrial growth under the PM Gati Shakti master plan.