DFCCIL reaches out to financiers for proposed Surat-Dankuni dedicated freight corridor

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) In an effort to attract investors and financiers for the proposed 2,316-km East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor between Surat in Gujarat and Dankuni in West Bengal, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited held a stakeholder conference in New Delhi. "The conference brought together developers, landowners, investors, financial institutions, and prospective bidders to facilitate stakeholder consultations and discuss the project's implementation framework and financing opportunities," a press statement by the corporation said. The government announced the new corridor while presenting the Union Budget for 2026–27 and assigned its construction to Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), which has already built the two operational freight corridors -- the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor -- with financial assistance from the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Officials said the conference held on July 7 was led by Praveen Kumar, Managing Director of DFCCIL, and attended by other senior officials and a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including leading infrastructure developers, EPC contractors, logistics and port operators, rolling stock and rail technology companies, financial institutions, multilateral agencies, infrastructure investors, rating agencies, and consultants. "The discussions focused on the financing framework, construction strategy, stakeholder participation and implementation roadmap for the EWDFC under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM)," DFCCIL said. The HAM is a public-private partnership (PPP) model in which the government and private investors share the project costs. "The conference included an interactive session that provided a platform for addressing stakeholder queries, exchanging valuable inputs and strengthening collaborative efforts for the timely development of India's next-generation freight corridor," the DFCCIL said. Managing Director Praveen Kumar reiterated DFCCIL's commitment to advancing the EWDFC with full momentum through collaborative engagement, innovative financing and focused execution. PTI JP PRK