Joining the massive rescue operation, DFCCIL has flagged off a special train on faster mode, carrying equipment from Karambeli in Gujarat to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, spanning 1,605 km.
The equipment will be utilised for aiding in the rescue of the trapped workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse incident.
The train ran between New Sanand to New Khatauli on the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) alignment covering a distance of 1,075 km in 18 hours 38 minutes on 21 and 22 November 2023.
The train achieved maximum permissible speed of 95 per cent for the entire stretch on DFC.
A project of national importance, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), a subsidiary of Indian Railways, is committed towards helping fellow Indians in times of need.
Driven by its qualities of being faster, higher, longer and heavier, the DFC with its high average speed provides a freight expressway which has come in handy in the carriage of important rescue saving equipment.
DFCCIL is touted as the game changer for the country’s logistic sector. At present, 2,486 km — which is 87.4 per cent of a total length of 2,843 km — has been completed and more than 95 per cent of the total DFC will be completed by March, 2024.
The DFC operation aims to decongest the busy rail routes on Indian Railways by carrying goods trains exclusively on its network, which will result in faster movement of freight and freeing up path for passenger trains.