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The Prime Minister laid foundation stones for and dedicated development projects worth more than ₹35,000 crore at Vadodara, Gujarat, on 8 September 2026.
The centrepiece was the completion of the 2,800-km Dedicated Freight Corridor, comprising the Eastern and Western corridors.
Separating freight from passenger traffic allows over 430 cargo trains to run daily and cuts a 30-hour truck journey to 10-12 hours.
A double-stack container freight train ran from JNPT Port to Vadodara carrying cargo equivalent to more than 250 trucks.
Other figures cited: 50,000 modern coaches and nearly 2.5 lakh wagons produced since 2014, a railway budget of over ₹2.75 lakh crore, 200 GW of solar PV module capacity, and 55 lakh families under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana including 11 lakh in Gujarat.
Separate freight from passenger traffic on dedicated tracks so that goods trains run to schedule at higher speed and heavier axle load.
Key: Two corridors totalling about 2,843 km — Eastern (Ludhiana–Sonnagar) and Western (Dadri–JNPT) — built and operated by DFCCIL, a 2006 special purpose vehicle of the Ministry of Railways. Over 430 cargo trains run daily; double-stack container operation is possible on the Western corridor.
A digital platform integrating the infrastructure plans of ministries so that road, rail, port, airport and utility projects are planned on one map rather than in silos.
Key: Launched in October 2021; the DFC's completion is presented as a Gati Shakti milestone, and Vadodara hosts Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, the associated central university under the Ministry of Railways.
Reduce India's logistics cost as a share of GDP and improve the efficiency of the freight ecosystem.
Key: Released in September 2022; the DFC is the physical rail component of the same objective, targeting a shift of freight from road to rail.
Rooftop solar for households, turning consumers into electricity producers.
Key: Cited at Vadodara as covering 55 lakh families nationwide, of which 11 lakh are in Gujarat.
On a mixed line, faster passenger trains take priority and goods trains wait, so freight is slow and unpredictable. A separate track lets freight run to a timetable at higher axle loads, and the taller clearance on the Western corridor allows containers to be stacked two high.
Plans, builds, mobilises finance for, maintains and operates the dedicated freight corridors.
Central university for transportation and logistics education and research, created by upgrading the National Rail and Transportation Institute; it sits under the Ministry of Railways.
General Awareness > Indian Railways and Infrastructure
GS Paper 3 > Infrastructure > Railways, Ports and Logistics
According to the Indian Railways (2019-2020), which state has the largest railway track in India?
Answer: Uttar Pradesh
With reference to bio-toilets used by the Indian Railways, consider the following statements: 1. The decomposition of human waste in the bio-toilets is initiated by a fungal inoculum. 2. Ammonia and water vapour are the only end products in this decomposition which are released into the atmosphere. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
A freight train carrying containers stacked two high, possible on the Western DFC because of its raised overhead clearance.
The National Master Plan launched in October 2021 that puts every ministry's infrastructure projects on a single geospatial platform.
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, the 2006 special purpose vehicle of the Ministry of Railways that owns and runs the corridors.