PM Modi inaugurates key sections of Dedicated Freight Corridor in Vadodara

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering in Vadodara after inaugurating key sections of the Dedicated Freight Corridor in the country’s western part. He said the 2,800-km project was now complete

He then turned to the young faces, and said if the NDA government moved at the UPA’s pace, the freight corridor would not have been completed in their lifetime

He then said India now faces a race against time and must prepare for the changes Artificial Intelligence (AI) is bringing

After laying foundation stones and inaugurating projects worth thousands of crores, the Prime Minister said the freight corridor’s completion is “a highly historic achievement for India of the 21st century”

He said the idea of a dedicated freight corridor to streamline cargo movement across the country was conceived in 2004; a dedicated company was set up in 2006 to execute it, but little happened for years

Addressing the younger members of the audience, the PM said the Dedicated Freight Corridor would not have been completed if the country had continued to function at the pace of the previous UPA government

Thousands of people attended the event, with Gujarat ministers and MLAs, party leaders and social media influencers also present alongside the Prime Minister

During his Vadodara visit, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated, laid foundation stones for and flagged off projects worth over Rs 35,200 crore, with railway work forming the largest component

These included development projects worth more than Rs 30,766 crore under Railways, including the completion and inauguration of three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, a key milestone in the corridor’s development

Modi also inaugurated gauge conversion and doubling work on other railway routes and flagged off a new Vadodara–Tanda Road passenger train and a freight train