Indian Railways Launches Longest Rail Flyover Girder On Western Dedicated Freight Corridor At Kalamboli In Maharashtra

In a significant advancement for India's freight infrastructure, the Indian Railways has successfully launched a 110.5-meter-long, 1,500-tonne rail flyover girder at Kalamboli, Maharashtra on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC).

This is the longest rail flyover girder of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), which is the executing agency for the WDFC.

"Pushing the horizons of design and freight delivery, Indian Railways launches a 1500 tonnes, 110.5m Rail Flyover Girder at Kalamboli, Maharashtra, on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, its longest yet and a feat of engineering brilliance," the Ministry of Railways said on Sunday (25 May).

This comes as the DFCCIL is eyeing October 2025 to compete the final segment of the western dedicated freight corridor (WDFC), finishing the massive corridor project ahead of the scheduled December commissioning, Financial Express had reported citing a DFCCIL official.

Once the Vaitarna–JNPT section is ready, DFCCIL will have completed the construction of the 1,504-km long WDFC, which runs from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to JNPT in Navi Mumbai.

The first leg of dedicated freight corridor operations in Maharashtra began on 27 April with a successful speed trial on the 75-km New Umbergaon Road–New Saphale stretch.

WDFC’s original commissioning was planned for March 2025 but was delayed to December due to executional challenges.

With EDFC already commissioned in 2024, both corridors are set to decongest freight traffic, cut logistics costs, and enhance operational efficiency.

Though DFCs make up just 4 per cent of Indian Railways' total network, they are already handling 14 per cent of all freight traffic on rail network.

DFC trains clock average speeds of 55–60 kmph—over twice the 18–20 kmph average of regular Indian Railways freight trains.

While passenger services run at a loss, DFCs are emerging as profitable revenue drivers for Indian Railways.

WDFC primarily moves container cargo along with imported coal, fertilisers, and foodgrains, while EDFC links northern power plants in UP, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan to eastern coal fields.

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