The project’s financing, construction, stakeholder participation and implementation roadmap are being advanced under the hybrid annuity model.
Rail freight corridor operator, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp. of India Ltd (DFCCIL), has pledged its commitment to advancing the implementation roadmap of the East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor (EWDFC) to support India’s economic growth and logistics competitiveness.
“DFCCIL is committed to taking forward the EWDFC with full momentum through collaborative engagement, innovative financing, and focused execution,” said Praveen Kumar, Managing Director, during the stakeholder conference on financing and construction of the proposed EWDFC in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The corridor, which will connect Surat in Gujarat to Dankuni in West Bengal across nearly 2,316 km, is envisaged as a transformative freight infrastructure project. It will enhance connectivity across six states, strengthen multimodal logistics integration, and significantly augment India’s freight transportation capacity.
The conference witnessed enthusiastic participation from leading infrastructure developers, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, logistics and port operators, rolling stock and rail technology companies, financial institutions, multilateral agencies, infrastructure investors, rating agencies and consultants.
Discussions centred on the financing framework, construction strategy, stakeholder participation, and implementation roadmap for the EWDFC under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM). The interactive session provided a platform for addressing queries, exchanging inputs, and strengthening collaborative efforts for the timely development of India’s next‑generation freight corridor.
Key deliberations were led by Praveen Kumar, Managing Director, DFCCIL; Shyam Sundar Gupta, Principal Executive Director (Infrastructure), Railway Board; B Mugunthan, Director (Finance), DFCCIL; and Rahul Kapoor, Executive Director, Finance, Resource Mobilisation & Public‑Private Partnership, Railway Board.