Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed the Rajya Sabha that 1,176 km of the 1,506 km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) has been completed. The Western DFC, connecting Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal to Dadri, passes through various districts in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Patan, Banas Kantha, Anand, Kheda, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Valsad, and Navsari.
Responding to a query from BJP MP Rambhai Harjibhai Mokaria, Minister Vaishnaw highlighted that the Western DFC would boost industrial activities in the region through the development of industrial corridors, townships, new freight terminals, multimodal cargo terminals, multimodal logistic parks, and inland container depots in Gujarat.
Emphasizing the positive impact on connectivity, Vaishnaw stated that improved and faster links between western ports and hinterland industries would lead to reduced transit time and lower logistic costs for customers.
MP Mokaria sought information on the current status and completion percentage of the Delhi-Mumbai Freight Corridor. He also inquired about the districts in Gujarat through which this corridor passes and the benefits accruing to these districts from its construction.
While some media reports had earlier claimed 1,279 km completion, officials from the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited clarified that the accurate figure presented by the minister in Parliament is 1,176 km.