The Ministry of Railways has officially completed the 1,506‑km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), stretching from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) in Maharashtra to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh. The project, executed in phases by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), reached a major milestone with successful trial runs on the JNPT–New Saphale (Vaitarna) section.
During the trials on March 31, 2026, a container train headed downwards from JNPT to New Saphale using an electric locomotive, while another train ran upward from New Saphale to JNPT with a diesel locomotive. DFCCIL noted that this demonstrates the operational readiness of the final 102‑km section and confirms that the newly commissioned high-capacity, electrified double-line infrastructure is fully prepared for smooth freight movement.
The WDFC is part of India’s broader Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) program, which also includes the 1,337‑km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) from Ludhiana, Punjab, to Sonnagar, Bihar. These corridors relieve congestion on conventional tracks by diverting freight traffic, allowing additional goods and passenger services to operate efficiently.
In the Union Budget 2026‑27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed a new DFC connecting Dankuni in West Bengal with Surat in Gujarat, further expanding the country’s freight network.
