New era in freight transport: Indian Railways conduct trial run between New Gothangam-Makarpura stations on WDFC network
Indian Railways has successfully conducted the first trial run of the freight train on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) network. With this, the national transporter has moved a step forward for easy and fast transportation of goods. The test run took place between New Gothangam of Surat district to New Makarpura of Vadodara district in Gujarat on October 23, 2023 (Monday).
Cost of Gothangam-Makarpura DFC section:-
The Gothangam-Makarpura DFC network has been built at a cost of Rs 3644 crore (approx). This new railway freight section, spanning over 112 km, is passing through three districts of Gujarat – Surat, Vadodara and Bharuch districts.
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) October 23, 2023
The project is being built by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), a Special Purpose Vehicle set up under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways.
Latest construction status on Western Dedicated Freight Corridor:-
The first 112 km trial run between Gothangam – Makarpura under the Dedicated Freight Corridor was successfully completed today.With this, Indian Railways takes another step forward for easy and fast movement of goods. pic.twitter.com/Ahe0zdd8TL
— Darshana Jardosh (@DarshanaJardosh) October 23, 2023
The national transporter has completed the construction of 1279 km out of 1506 km of the WDFC route so far. With this, the existing load on one of the busiest route i.e. Delhi-Mumbai will get reduced significantly.
Bridges over Gothangam-Makarpura DFC section:-
A total of 240 minor and major rail bridges are lies on the Gothangam to Makarpura section of the Western DFC. This also includes one major bridge on the Narmada river in Bharuch. The 1.3-km-long rail bridge is the longest bridge of the WDFC. In a tweet, the DFCCIL has shared the magnificent view of the freight train over the Narmada bridge.
Watch the magnificent view over the #Narmada bridge of the first successful freight train (carrying containers) trial between #WDFC’s New Gothangam (Surat dist.) – New Makarpura (Vadodara dist.) sections of #Gujarat on 23.10.2023. #Expressway for freight trains @railminindia pic.twitter.com/RyZsaE2XYj
— DFCCIL (@dfccil_india) October 24, 2023
Significance of Gothangam-Makarpura DFC section:-
Once completed, the Dedicated Freight Corridor will increase freight traffic as well as boost the economic growth of the country. It will also enhance the speed of the existing rail network due to the presence of Electronic Interlocking System. The entire route will be level crossing free.
