Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first fully operational section of Dedicated Freight Corridor recently. EDFC's Bhaupur - Khurja section where Alstom has designed and delivered as an integrated System, the Electrification (Power Supply and OHE + OHE components), Signalling and Telecommunication systems. Execution of civil works, as well as site installation and commissioning were part of the overall delivery.
Two fully loaded freight trains hauled by Alstom's WAG 12 eLocomotives, each carrying more than 10,00 Tonnes of coal and food grains took off from Bhaupur & Khurja respectively. This marked the inauguration of the 351 km New Bhaupur-New Khurja stretch of the EDFC. These tracks have been tested to carry heavy loads at speeds of 100 kms per hour.
Commenting at this momentous occasion, Alain Spohr, Managing Director, India & South Asia, Alstom said, "Congratulations to DFCCIL, PMC and their teams, and kudos to our Alstom teams for doing an outstanding job with many "firsts in India" on this first fully completed electrified section of DFC. Alstom is proud to have introduced several ‘firsts' in India to ensure speedy execution on this project. This is also a good reference of Alstom's commitment to Make-in-India. The complete design and engineering for OHE Electrification, Civil, Power Supply, Signalling has been done indigenously. This begins a new era of freight rail revolution that all stakeholders envisioned jointly. It is indeed an honour to be partnering in India's Make-in-India mission."
With this section now operational, the existing Kanpur-Delhi main line is expected to be decongested and will enable Indian Railways to run faster trains while also opening new vistas of opportunity for the local industries such as aluminium (Pukhrayan region of Kanpur Dehat district), dairy (Auraiya district), textile production / block printing (Etawah district), glassware (Firozabad district), pottery products (Khurja of Bulandshahr district), asafoetida production (Hathras district) and locks and hardware (Aligarh district).
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