India Must Embrace Tech-Driven Heavy Haul Infrastructure to Meet Freight Targets, Says DFCCIL Chief

India must accelerate the adoption of technology in heavy haul freight operations to meet rising demand and sustainability goals, the head of the state-run Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) said on Friday.

“Failure is not an option for heavy haul freight not for safety, not for efficiency, and certainly not for environmental sustainability. To achieve sustainable freight, we must invest in sustainable maintenance practices including rail grinding, ultrasonic rail flaw detection, and autonomous inspection platforms. We must also adopt tools like ground-penetrating radar and deploy AI-based data platforms for real-time diagnostics,” said Kumar.

DFCCIL, a Ministry of Railways enterprise, is hosting a two-day seminar bringing together international experts, industry leaders, and researchers to address the evolving demands of heavy haul rail networks.

According to a NITI Aayog report, Indian Railways aims to increase its freight traffic from 1.2 billion tonnes in 2019 to 3.3 billion tonnes by 2030. Achieving this target will require significant strengthening of domestic infrastructure and a shift toward technology-driven operations.

“This is a moment of transition—from building tracks to building a system that lasts, adapts, and delivers value across generations. Let us embrace technology not just to modernise, but to lead. Let us invest not only in hardware but in knowledge. Let us move beyond construction toward the future of sustainable and intelligent freight movement,” added DFFCIL leader.

He also mentioned that DFFCIL has built two corridors in the country; Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The EDFC stretches from Ludhiana to Sonnagar, while the WDFC runs from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri.

“At DFCCIL, our goal is to develop an integrated, real-time condition assessment hub, a single unified wayside monitoring system. We’ve already taken a step in this direction on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, in partnership with a startup, AltomMR,” Kumar added.

He said that this system not only collects data but correlates it, analyses it, and even predicts failures before they occur.

The seminar will focus on advancing predictive, data-driven maintenance strategies to enhance the sustainability, safety, and efficiency of dedicated freight corridors.