31 December,2025 04:35 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The JNPT-Vaitarna section is a crucial part of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. Pic/Special Arrangement
Moving a step closer to the operations on the JNPT-Vaitarna freight corridor in Maharashtra, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) successfully conducted a rail car inspection on a section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), an official statement said on Wednesday.
The inspection was led by Praveen Kumar, Managing Director of DFCCIL, and covered a distance of about 102 kilometres from Vaitarna to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Port (JNPT).
This inspection marks the first-ever train movement on the newly constructed DFCCIL track between JNPT and Vaitarna, making it a historic moment for the project, the statement said.
The JNPT-Vaitarna section is a crucial part of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor and falls under the jurisdiction of the CGM/Mumbai Unit of DFCCIL. The successful rail car inspection is an important step towards the full commissioning of this 102 km stretch.
Once commissioned, this section will significantly improve freight movement between India's hinterland and JNPT, the country's largest container port. It will help reduce congestion, improve logistics efficiency, and support faster goods transportation.
Out of the total 102 km stretch, the Vaitarna to New Kharbao section (30 km) has already been fully electrified. A successful electric locomotive trial run was conducted on 30 November 2025, confirming the readiness of this segment.
Electrification and signalling works on the remaining stretch are progressing at a fast pace and are expected to be completed shortly.
Senior officers from the DFCCIL Mumbai Unit, representatives of executing agencies such as Tata Projects, L&T, and KPIL, along with consultants, also participated in the inspection.
Earlier this year, the DFCCIL had achieved another major milestone towards the commissioning of its final stretch between (JNPT) and Vaitarna.
The trial run was conducted on October 29, 2025, DFCCIL successfully conducted a trial run of a goods train hauled by a diesel locomotive from New Saphale (DFCCIL) at chainage 107.0 to Kharbao Station (Indian Railways) at chainage 67.0, a distance of around 40 kilometres.
This was the first train movement on the newly built track of the JNPT-Vaitarna section under the Chief General Manager (Mumbai) Unit.
The JNPT-Vaitarna section of the WDFC is expected to play a major role in boosting port-led development and strengthening the national logistics network, an official said.
