Amid the disruptions in several service sectors due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation has got the World Bank’s approval to float Rs 1500 crore system contract tender for the Eastern Corridor, a significant move for the ongoing work on the exclusive goods corridor project.
The Eastern Corridor is being funded by the World Bank while the Western Corridor is financed by the JICA.
The contract entails the electrical and signalling work on the total 450 km route between Khurja and Dadri and Khurja-Pilkhani-Sahnewal section in the Eastern DFC.
While the civil engineering contract has already been awarded, the installation of electrical and signaling system is crucial for the project as the entire DFC will be electrified route with automatic system.
ALL DFC stations are to be equipped with electronic inter-locking system with LED light multi-aspect colour light signals besides Mobile Radio Train Communication System (GSM-R) and train protection warnings system for the entire track.
Though it was a lockdown situation, DFC officials continued their efforts through communications and video conferencing methods to get the “no-objection certificate” from the World Bank.
“All formalities were completed to get the NOC from the World Bank. Now we will be awarding the contracts soon,” said DFCC Managing Director AK Sachaan
The tender is expected to be floated by May 3, the extended lockdown target.
Traversing through six states, the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor with a route length of 1856 km consists of two distinct segments: an electrified double-track segment of 1409 km between Dankuni in West Bengal and Khurja in Uttar Pradesh and an electrified single-track segment of 447 km between Ludhiana – Khurja – Dadri in the state of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Due to non – availability of space along the existing corridor particularly near important city centers and industrial townships, the alignment of the corridor takes a detour to bypass densely populated towns such as Mughalsarai, Allahabad, Kanpur, Etawah, Ferozabad, Tundla, Barhan, Hathras, Aligarh, Hapur, Meerut, Saharanpur, Ambala, Rajpura, Sirhind, Doraha and Sanehwal.
Since the origin and destinations of traffic do not necessarily fall on the DFC, a number of junction arrangements have been planned to transfer traffic from the existing Indian Railway Corridor to the DFC and vice versa. These include Dankuni, Andal, Gomoh, Sonnagar, Ganjkhwaja, Mughalsarai, Jeonathpur, Naini/Cheoki, Prempur, Bhaupur, Tundla, Daudkhan, Khurja, Kalanaur, Rajpura, Sirhind and Dhandarikalan.
Eastern Corridor is projected to cater to a number of traffic streams. Coal for the power plants in the northern region of UP, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and parts of Rajasthan from the Eastern coal fields, finished steel, food grains, cement, fertilizers, lime stone from Rajasthan to steel plants in the east.