Nearly six years after the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project was launched, it remains more a paper idea than a realistic project. Now, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it should get the “highest priority”.
Over the past decades, freight traffic has shifted dramatically to roads. Clogged tracks (freight and passengers move on the same network) and cross-subsidization have made moving freight on the rail network an expensive proposition. The project is viable.
DFC is expected to cost Rs 80,000 crore finally. The track length in the two (west and east) corridors is 3,322km.
The railway ministry, too, has a share in the project. This is way beyond the latter’s ability to execute such projects, so long as it continues to pursue populism with a vengeance. There are doubts not only about this ministry, but also about the government in general and its ability to find the required money.