The DFC project, slated to be IR’s biggest venture till date, envisages construction of 1,483-km western corridor passing through the state, linking the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) with Tughlakabad/Dadri.

IR has put the estimated cost of the western corridor at Rs 218.56 billion. The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the project, called the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, is likely to begin construction work by the second half of 2009. In

addition, the feeder routes of the western corridor connecting ports in Gujarat will also be upgraded.

According to railway officials, the 920-km-long Rewari-Vadodara section is targeted to be completed by 2016 and the remaining 430-km of the Vadodara-JNPT section will be completed by 2017.

Besides, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide a loan of Rs 180 billion for undertaking the construction work of the first phase of Rewari-Vadodara section. JICA is carrying out a feasibility study for the section right now.

Moreover, a stretch of about 150 km will be developed as DMIC on both sides of the DFC. It will have a high axle, double-track and high-speed freight movement railway facility with computerised control. It will thus provide high-speed connectivity between Delhi and Mumbai, with the track running almost parallel to the current track covering Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai.

IR has also planned two new projects, which will be undertaken through the Public-Private Partnership-Special Purpose Vehicle (PPP-SPV) route, namely the Surat Hazira Railway Company and Dholera Port Railway Company.

Of these, the Surat Hazira project, with an estimated cost of Rs 1.34 billion, is a 36.36-km long railway track that will provide a broad gauge electrified rail link between the Mumbai-Vadodara trunk route and Hazira port.