Govt plans to lease out dedicated freight corridor tracks to private firms

To rope in telecom companies and make use of optic fibre network

The Centre is working on a comprehensive plan for asset monetisation of the dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) by leasing out rail tracks to private players to run trains and rope in existing telecom players to use its optic fibre network, among other measures.

This will be part of the upcoming measures that a high-powered committee of secretaries is working on for improving the Indian Railways. 

The committee is entitled to fast-track innovative financing for its projects, corporatise production units and monetise existing rail infrastructure and DFC assets. According to the railways, both Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and Western Dedicated