Unveiling the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor: Forging a New Industrial Spine Imagine vast quantities of coal and manufactured goods flowing seamlessly from India's industrial heartland to its northern consumption centers and ports, bypassing congested traditional rail lines. This is the vision brought to life by the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), a colossal 1,337 km electrified railway stretching from Ludhiana in Punjab to Sonnagar in Bihar. Designed exclusively for freight, the EDFC is a critical component of India's infrastructure revolution, promising to significantly reduce logistics costs, alleviate pressure on the existing passenger rail network, and ignite industrial growth across the eastern and northern states. As of February 2024, the entire EDFC is largely commissioned, representing a massive stride in modernizing India's freight transport. While facing its own set of challenges, including initial delays and complex execution, the EDFC is a test...