Question : Dedicated Freight Corridors

(a) whether the Railways has made dedicated freight corridors to provide exclusive movement on fast speeds for goods trains;

(b) if so, whether the Indian Railways has reviewed the progress of dedicated freight corridors;

(c) If so, the outcome thereof and the sections which have already been opened and the number of trains running thereon so far;

(d) the details of construction activities affected due to Covid-19 lockdown along with the increased cost of the project as a result thereof; and

(e) the steps taken by the Indian Railways to give pace to various construction activities under Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation India Limited (DFCCIL)?

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c): Two freight corridors namely Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) (from Ludhiana to Dankuni – 1875 km) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) (from Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust -1506 km) are under implementation. The progress of these corridors is being monitored regularly at various levels including Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Railways, NITI Aayog, PMG etc.

As a result of regular monitoring and several proactive measures, the project implementation has been fast track and following sections have been commissioned so far:

(i) New Khurja to New Bhaupur section of EDFC – 351 km on 29.12.2020; and
(ii) New Ateli to New Kishangarh section of WDFC - 306 km on 07.01.2021.

Approximately 7,199 trains have run on these commissioned sections till date.

(d): Most of the construction activities such as earthwork, blanketing, ballasting, bridge work and track laying works have got adversely affected due to impact of Covid-19 pandemic and imposition of lockdown. Cost increase on account of time extension needed due to Covid/lockdown is payable under Price Variation Claim (PVC) clauses in contracts, which depends on the prevailing indices at the time of making such payments.

(e): Several proactive measures have been taken to fast track the project such as hike in fund allocation, close monitoring, faster decision making, quick resolution of contractual issues, resolving land acquisition issues and State Government related matters etc., besides other steps.

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