PM flags off world's 1st double-stack container train, launches DFC section

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday flagged off the world’s first double-stack long-haul container train from New Ateli in Haryana to New Kishanganj in Rajasthan.
 
He also launched the 306-km Rewari-Madar section of the Western dedicated freight corridor (DFC).
 
Modi said that since the launch of the New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of the DFC, the average speed of freight trains has tripled in that section.
 
One train carries 360 10-feet container equivalent units (TEU), which is equivalent to 270 high capacity trailer trucks, a rail ministry statement said.
 
The corridor is expected to boost farming and allied businesses in Haryana and Rajasthan and impart new energy into cities like Mahendragarh, Jaipur, Ajmer and Sikar.
 
The PM also highlighted the investment in broad gauge and electrification, which has helped increase the speed of trains. He spoke of semi-high-speed trains and modern technology for laying down the tracks, and expressed hope that every northeastern state capital will soon be connected with railways.
 
The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India is currently constructing the Western DFC (1,506 km) and Eastern DFC (1,875 km).
 
The Eastern DFC, starting from Sahnewal near Ludhiana in Punjab, will pass through Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand and terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal.
 
The Western corridor connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai will cover Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
 
The speed of freight trains is expected to be increased to a maximum of 100 km per hour (kmph) against the current maximum speed of 75 kmph. The average speed of freight trains will also be increased from the existing 26 kmph on railway lines to 70 kmph on DFCs.