Freight traffic on India's dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) has witnessed a surge in the current financial year, with volumes doubling compared to the previous year. This growth, driven by the operationalisation of both the eastern and western segments of the DFC, is helping these corridors capture a larger share of the nation's overall rail freight volume.

From April to October 2024, the DFCs carried 62,282 million net tonne km (NTKMs), equivalent to 292.4 million per day, a sharp increase from 32,164 million NTKMs (151 million per day) in the same period of 2023. The increase in freight traffic is largely attributed to the addition of 522 km of DFC track, including 294 km of the eastern DFC and 228 km of the western DFC, which became operational in FY24. Further traffic growth is anticipated, with the completion of an additional 102 km stretch on the western DFC expected by the end of 2025. 

The Vaitarna-JNPT section of the western DFC is the last leg of this mega project and faced delays due to execution challenges, particularly with Tata Projects’ earlier contract, which was terminated in 2022 but later reinstated.

The shift of freight traffic from traditional railways to the DFC is also evident; by October 2024, the DFC carried 13 percent of railway freight, up from 10 percent in July, and is expected to surpass its target of handling 70 percent of freight on sections running parallel to the DFCs. 

In terms of gross tonne kilometers per day (GTKMs), the DFC reported 106,277 million GTKMs between April and October 2024, an increase of nearly 80 percent over the previous year. The western DFC, covering 1,506 km, primarily handles containers, cement, petroleum products, while the 1,337-km eastern DFC is focused on coal, iron and steel, fertilizers, food grains, and containers. Operating at four percent of the total rail network, the DFC is already running over 350 trains daily and has potential to increase capacity to 480 trains per day.