WDFC completes full stretch with JNPT–New Saphale trial run

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) has completed the full stretch of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) following a successful trial run of freight trains on March 31, 2026. The final section between JNPT and New Saphale was tested with simultaneous movements in both directions, marking the readiness of the corridor for freight operations.

The trial run on the JNPT–New Saphale section involved container trains departing at 11:50 hrs in both directions. A train moving from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to New Saphale was hauled by an electric locomotive, while the return movement from New Saphale to JNPT was powered by a diesel locomotive. The operation confirmed the functionality of the corridor across traction systems.

Conducted under the leadership of Praveen Kumar, Managing Director of DFCCIL, the trial run establishes the operational readiness of the remaining 102 km section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. The exercise demonstrates that the electrified double-line infrastructure is prepared for freight movement across the entire alignment.

Senior officials present during the trial included Shobhit Bhatnagar, Anurag Sharma, M. K. Awasthy, Sandesh Srivastava, Vikas Srivastava, Ran Vijay Singh, Amit Saurastri, and H. G. Tiwari, along with other officers of the organisation.

With direct connectivity to JNPT, the commissioning of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is expected to change freight movement linked to port operations. The corridor provides a continuous route for cargo trains, enabling faster movement between production centres and the port and supporting logistics flows across regions.

The completion of the corridor introduces operational changes in train handling. Freight services between New Makarpura and New JNPT will require two sets of crew due to reduced handovers. The corridor is also expected to reduce transit time by nearly four hours, allowing a faster turnaround of rolling stock, improved utilisation of assets, better adherence to schedules, and a higher capacity for freight volumes.