• Mansuba of Indian Railways


• High speed cargo network to grow in India


• Project to go through Maharashtra

Mumbai: By Indian Railways Work has started on three new freight corridors to further expand our high-speed cargo network in South, East and Central India. Interestingly, out of the 3 proposed freight corridors, 2 corridors are passing through Maharashtra. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for these three new routes have been completed and are under scrutiny. An estimated expenditure of Rs 1.5 lakh crore is expected on these projects. First at least one corridor will be selected based on technical feasibility, transport capacity and availability of funds.

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45% cargo traffic target by 2030

The new corridors will connect with the existing 1,337 km Eastern and 1,506 km Western Dedicated Freight Corridors at Lanchi. About 1,404 km of the Western Corridor is operational, while the remaining 102 km stretch from Vaitarna to JNPT will start soon. The existing corridor has reduced the congestion on passenger lines by increasing the speed of freight traffic.

1,115

KM East Coast Corridor (Khadagpur-Vijaywada)

1,673

km East-West Corridor (Bhusawal-Dankuni)

975

KM North-South Sub-Corridor (Vijayawada-Nagpur-Itarsi)

Railway According to the ministry, the share of railways in the total freight traffic was over 600% in the 1990s, which declined to around 25% in 2020, but has increased to 27% with the help of DFC post-Covid. The National Rail Plan aims to increase this share to 45% by 2030.

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• Modern Intelligence, a global market research consulting firm, expects the country’s freight and logistics market to grow from an estimated $350 billion in 2025 to nearly $550 billion by 2030.


• The East Coast Corridor contributes the highest volume of freight for railways. It will provide a special route for transportation of minerals in this area and from Odisha and Chhattisgarh, Railways aims to complete these sections in five to seven years from the commencement of work. Once the dedicated corridors are created, 30-35% of the railway’s freight traffic will pass through them


• So that freight trains can run at a speed of 75-100 km per hour. This speed is much higher than the current average of around 25 km per hour. This will make freight transportation more reliable and run on time

A green light can be given in the budget

At least one of these three corridors is expected to get the green light. The decision will be based on technical aspects, transport capacity and availability of funds. It is believed that the proposal may be included in the upcoming Union Budget, which may include a nominal allocation of funds for the 2027 financial year.

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Aiming to increase the share of freight traffic

Railways accounted for more than 60% of the country’s total freight traffic in the 1990s, according to Ministry of Railways data. In 2020, this share had reduced to around 25%. However, due to the construction of dedicated corridors, this share has slightly increased to 27%. Under the National Railway Plan, the government aims to increase this share to 45% by 2030.