The Dedicated Freight Corridor project, the largest infrastructure project in the country, is gaining momentum. By end of March 2016, the Indian Railways expects to aware almost all contracts for civil engineering works on the Dedicated Freight Corridor project. The Railway Minister said that ever since he assumed office, contracts worth Rs.24,000 crore have been awarded against Rs.13,000 crore worth of contracts in the last six years.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2016-17 in Parliament, the Railway said it is proposed to take up the following freight corridors: North-South connecting Delhi to Chennai, East-West connecting Kharagpur to Mumbai & East Coast connecting Kharagpur to Vijayawada. He said, it is proposed to put these three projects on high priority to ensure structuring, award and implementation in a time-bound manner through innovative financing mechanisms including PPP.
The Minister said, given the emphasis on rapid expansion of freight business, it is essential to build more dedicated freight corridors for increased traffic with consequent benefits for the economy and environment.
