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In a significant boost to India's freight & logistics infrastructure, a first double stack container train was flagged off on Tuesday from Hind Terminals Logistics Park in Palwal by Ashok Kumar Verma, General Manager of Northern Railway and Praveen Kumar, Managing Director of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL).
Senior officials from Northern Railway and DFCCIL and representatives from Hind Terminals Pvt Ltd were also present, underscoring the collaboration between the rail sector and private logistics partners. This milestone marks a step forward in enhancing freight movement on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and supports the Government of India's vision for a modal shift in freight transportation. Now, the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Hind Terminals Logistics Park, Palwal, will be able to provide competitive door-to-door pricing to the region's exporters and importers who are currently using road transport. By increasing the share of railways in the country's freight basket, the initiative is poised to facilitate the efficient movement of essential commodities, including food grains, perishables, industrial goods, and MSME products. The expanded rail logistics capacity is expected to drive industrial activities and economic growth in the region. Before the flagging-off ceremony, Praveen Kumar conducted a comprehensive window-trailing inspection from New Dadri to New Prithla. This review assessed the operational efficiency of freight movement and the critical infrastructure of the DFC, ensuring that it meets high-performance standards. Furthermore, Praveen Kumar, in the presence of Shobhit Bhatnagar, led a business development meeting with DFCCIL officials and key stakeholders. The discussions centred on fostering innovation, optimizing freight operations, and attracting more business to the DFC, reinforcing its role as a game-changer in India's logistics landscape. The commissioning of this double-stack container train represents a crucial step in modernizing freight transport and strengthens Indian Railways and DFCCIL's commitment to efficient and sustainable logistics solutions. Out of the 2,843 km-long DFC network, more than 96 per cent or 2,741 km has already been completed and commissioned. The 1337 km-long EDFC is 100 per cent commissioned joining New Sahnewal in Punjab and Sonnagar in Bihar. The 1506-km-long Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) runs from Dadri, Noida, in Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai in Maharashtra, boosting the movement of cement, containers, perishables, and more. This corridor is built for speedy, long-haul and double-stack container trains with greater efficiency. Today, the DFC network is revolutionizing freight transportation in the country, increasing railways' share in national freight, boosting logistics, spurring industrial development, generating employment and much more. Despite being just 4 per cent of Indian Railways' total network, the DFC is handling more than 14 per cent of its freight capacity already, and the steady growth in capacity continues. (ANI)
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