Western Dedicated Freight Corridor will bring logistics revolution: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 8 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the inauguration of three key sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) will bring a “revolution” in logistics and help India strengthen its position in the global supply chain.
Speaking to reporters here, Fadnavis said the corridor would enable faster movement of cargo from Uttar Pradesh to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) by rail and significantly reduce transportation costs.
“Today, PM Modi inaugurated the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. This Corridor will bring a revolution in logistics in India. The movement of cargo from UP to JNPT will happen by rail,” Fadnavis said.
Highlighting the capacity of the freight corridor, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said double-decker freight trains had been prepared for the first time, allowing a single train to carry cargo equivalent to the load transported by hundreds of trucks.
“For the first time, we have prepared double-decker racks. One train can carry goods that would have been carried by 250 trucks,” he said.
Fadnavis said the dedicated freight corridor would help bring down logistics costs to around seven per cent, enabling Indian businesses to compete more effectively with China and play a larger role in the global supply chain.
“With this dedicated freight corridor, we can bring the cost of cargo to 7%, resulting in competing with China and taking a better part in the global supply chain,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of the project for Maharashtra, as the corridor's end destination is JNPT, one of the country's major ports.
“This is important for Maharashtra because its end destination is JNPT port, which will help in the generation of employment in the state,” Fadnavis said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore in Vadodara, including railway, highway and Gujarat government projects.
PM Modi described the completion of the more than 2,800-kilometre Dedicated Freight Corridor as a “historic milestone” for 21st-century India.
“For a Viksit Bharat, we need connectivity that is not only convenient but also fast enough to keep pace with the times,” Modi said.
He said the project would strengthen the country's logistics infrastructure and reflect the transformation in India's work culture over the past 12 years.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of ‘Gati Shakti’ as one of the seven pillars of his vision for a Viksit Bharat. (ANI)