Hyderabad

Tata Projects Limited today said it is commencing work on the Rs 4,328 crore project to build a 320-kilometre stretch of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), a dedicated freight line connecting Delhi and Mumbai.

According to a statement issued by the company, Tata Projects along with IRCON International Limited, is part of the Express Freight Consortium, which is led by Mitsui and Co Ltd of Japan.

Segregating freight and passenger traffic shall pave the way for high speed movement of goods, and is one of the most important infrastructure projects taken up by Indian Railways, it said.

The consortium plans to complete the work in scheduled time of 48 months using latest technology of Automated Track Laying Machines, it added.

The DFC is an ambitious programme of the Ministry of Railways involving construction of two corridors — the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni, and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor from Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai.

It is being implemented by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL).

The DFC project will eventually link the four hubs of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata at the corners of India s Golden Quadrilateral. The Japanese government has provided loans for the Western DFC project under special terms for bilateral economic partnership.

Vinayak Deshpande, Managing Director of Tata Projects Limited, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor Project for the second time, as we are already constructing a section of the Eastern Freight Corridor. The early commencement of work, within a short period of the award of contract, is testimony to our proven execution excellence and capabilities in this area.” PTI