India economy desk

India's Dedicated Freight Corridor Fully Connected: How a 2,843-Kilometer Railway Artery Is Reshaping Manufacturing Geography and Export Competitiveness

After the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is fully operational, the total length of India's East-West dedicated freight rail network will reach 2,843 km. The average time for freight trains per 100 km will be compressed from 5.25 hours on conventional lines to 2.44 hours, and the railway cost per tonne-kilometer is about 1.96 rupees, only about one-sixth that of road transport. This is not merely an improvement in transport efficiency; it may also change the cost structure of the Indian economy across three dimensions—inventory management, inland manufacturing location selection, and port hinterland restructuring—and provide critical infrastructure support for India's export competitiveness in the context of China+1.