New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described India’s Dedicated Freight Corridor as a “lifeline” for a rapidly developing nation as he marked the completion of the over 2,800 kilometre freight network in Vadodara. He said the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors are emerging as a backbone for India’s trade, commerce and logistics infrastructure.
The completed network, spanning about 2,843 kilometres, includes the final three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor covering 326 route kilometres. Their completion establishes a direct freight link between Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai and major industrial centres in northern India, including Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.
Modi said freight movement has become considerably faster since goods trains were separated from passenger railway traffic. More than 430 freight trains now operate daily on the Eastern and Western corridors, while a journey that previously took around 30 hours by truck can be completed in approximately 10 to 12 hours through the dedicated network.
The Prime Minister said faster freight movement would reduce fuel consumption and transportation costs, ease congestion on conventional railway lines and improve environmental efficiency. The corridor also enables high capacity electric freight trains, including double stack operations, helping connect inland manufacturing hubs in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan more efficiently with ports.
Modi also criticised the previous UPA government over delays in implementing the project. He said the concept was proposed in 2004 and a dedicated company was established in 2006, but progress remained limited until 2014. He contrasted the earlier delays with what he described as the accelerated execution of the project under his government.
Taking a political swipe at critics, Modi said “truth” would overcome what he called the “jhooth ki goonj”, adding that India’s youth were moving forward with confidence in truth and development.
He also used the phrase “naraz phupha ji” while responding to concerns over the impact of freight corridors on truck operators. Modi highlighted that a single freight train could carry cargo equivalent to more than 250 trucks.
During his Vadodara visit, Modi flagged off freight train services and a new passenger service between Tanda Road and Vadodara’s Pratapnagar. He also laid foundation stones for projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore, covering railway and highway infrastructure as well as Gujarat government initiatives.
Addressing Gujarat’s youth, Modi linked the projects to the broader vision of a developed India and highlighted Vadodara’s role in the Gati Shakti initiative. He also praised residents for their participation in the “Swachhata Se Swagat” cleanliness campaign and said connectivity, infrastructure and public participation would remain important pillars of the country’s development journey.
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