OREANDA-NEWS. The Sojitz-L&T Consortium has signed an EPC rail contract with the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) for the construction of 626 km of a double track corridor from Rewari in Haryana to Iqbalgarh in Gujarat, via Rajasthan.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is a special purpose vehicle of the Indian Railways and has awarded a part of India's largest and the first-of-its-kind project in the rail sector - Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, to a consortium of Sojitz Corporation, Japan and Larsen and Toubro.

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (1483 km) will run from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai to Tughlakabad and Dadri near Delhi, passing through Haryana and Rajasthan. It would cater largely to the container transport requirements between existing and emerging ports in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The engineering, procurement and construction order secured by the Sojitz-L&T Consortium involves construction of 626 km of a double track corridor from Rewari in Haryana to Iqbalgarh in Gujarat, via Rajasthan, spanning three states. The consortium's scope includes construction of 1388 track km of railway line, 112 major bridges, 1188 minor bridges, 20 stations along with supply of equipment. The project will be executed using mechanized means of sleepers and track lining machines using the latest technology in railway construction. Adopting advanced construction technologies, the consortium is expected to complete the project in 48 months.

At a function in New Delhi on August 19, 2013; DFCCIL and Sojitz-L&T Consortium exchanged documents in the presence of several high ranking dignitaries including H.E. Mr. Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan, Mr. Arunendra Kumar, Chairman - Railway Board & Chairman - DFCCIL, Mr. R.K. Gupta, Managing Director, DFCCIL, Mr.

Toshihiko Kita, Managing Executive Officer & President of Machinery Division, Sojitz, Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan, Member of the Board and Senior Executive Vice President, L&T.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Arunendra Kumar said the “Dedicated Freight Corridor marks a strategic inflexion point in the history of Indian Railways' freight infrastructure. It is expected to give a much needed fillip to the regional economy through the establishment of industrial corridors and multimodal logistics parks along its alignment. He added that this is the country's largest project awarded so far in rail sector and the first- of-its-kind in India.”

Mr. Toshihiko Kita said that “Sojitz is delighted to be a part of this milestone infrastructural development in enhancing the Indian rail freight transportation to world- class levels. He also said that through the association with L&T - India's leading engineering and construction organization, he is confident about the quality and completion of the project on schedule.”

Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan said that “L&T has been associated with the Indian Railways for over three decades for all types of railway infrastructure projects like track construction, railway electrification, telecommunication, concrete and steel bridges including major structures for Konkan Railways, metros in different cities and Mumbai monorail. L&T has taken the lead in rail construction by introducing pioneering techniques, resulting in execution of projects with innovation, quality and speed meeting international standards and specifications. “We have lined-up a host of infrastructural facilities such as casting yards, sleeper plants, rail welding depots, rebar yards and other establishments in order to facilitate faster completion of the project” he added.

Complementing the consortium, H.E. Mr. Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan said, “This has been a much awaited ceremony that would greatly reinforce the IndoJapanese relations and take it to newer heights. DFCC project will be a game changer for the future of Indian rail infrastructure.”