World’s second­-biggest control center for goods trains in Prayagraj

• The world’s second-­biggest Operation Control Centre for goods trains, built in India by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is ready to begin operations and is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of this month
• The center, built at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, will be the ‘nerve­centre’ of the over 1,800 km­long eastern dedicated freight corridor
• The control center has a theater which measures 1560 sq m, with a video wall of more than 90 m and will be used as a one­stop shop for controlling and monitoring rail systems, including train operations and the power supply system
• The Dedicated Freight Corridor touted as one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country, is a 3,360 km stretch consisting of the Eastern and Western corridors. The Eastern corridor, which is being funded by the World Bank, will run from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni near Kolkata, traversing Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
• The Western corridor will have a similar operation control system at Ahmedabad.
• For the Eastern corridor, targeted to be completed by December 2021, The World Bank loan stands at about $1.86 billion
• Once operational, the freight corridor will help decongest the existing Indian Railway network, while also helping increase the average speed of goods trains to 70 kmph, from the existing 25 kmph.
• It will connect the existing ports and industrial areas for faster movement of goods… and will help increase the rail share in freight transportation from the existing 30% to 45%

Source: The Hindu