14 Private Freight Terminals On East And West DFCs Soon

Giving a boost to PM Gati Shakti initiatives, 14 private freight terminals (PFT) are coming up in the Dedicated Freight Corridors at an estimated cost of Rs 2,800 crore.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, SKN Haryana City Gas Distribution, International Cargo Terminals and Infrastructures and ICTIPL are among other private players who have come up to develop PFT as part of the multi-modal logistic park along the DFCs.

Work is underway to develop the 14 freight terminals after finalization of the locations along the freight corridors, said a senior DFCC official. These private players would be given rights for exclusive operation for five years in these 14 freight terminals.

While 14 are under development, eight private terminals are already operational, the official said.

There would be a total of 42 freight terminals along the 2,800 km long freight corridors.

Currently, about a 1,000 km long line is operational in both corridors and the full commissioning is expected to be in 2023.

"We will come out with a Time Table for our freight operation soon which will not only provide relief to our customers but also ensure delivering goods at destinations in a scheduled manner," the official added.

Since cargo business is the basic mainstay of the DFC, the setting up of private terminals is expected to boost loadings in future.

The speed of freight trains has nearly doubled from the earlier speed, now resulting in half the time taken to ferry products.

Besides, the unit cost of freight transport will be highly reduced in DFC, which will further lead to savings in logistics costs.

The official said these advantages are expected to improve the supply chain for industries or logistic players of the economy. The faster movement of goods through freight and heavy transportation will promote industrial activities by leveraging townships or corridors along the routes of the dedicated freight corridor.