New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) Work on over 1,000 km of the

railway's Dedicated Freight Corridor is likely to begin soon and the government is launching projects for development of modern stations across the country.
Terming the freight corridor as "an ambitious mega project," President Pranab Mukherjee said in his address to Parliament that work on construction of over 1,000 km route length "is expected to begin shortly".
Mukherjee said the project, connecting Eastern and Western Coasts with the interiors of the country, would cover 3,300 km railway tracks.
Observing that India was the ninth largest civil aviation market in the world, he said while Kolkata and Chennai airports have got new terminals, the government has given 'in-principle' approval for setting up a greenfield airport at Aranmula in Kerala, besides Navi Mumbai, Mopa (Goa) and Kannur (Kerala).

The President said "innovative approaches under the public-private partnership mode are being launched for first and last mile projects and development of railway stations."
While a state-of-the-art rail coach production facility has been commissioned in Rae Bareli for production of modern stainless steel coaches, construction of the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir has also been completed, he said, adding work on starting railway services on this route was in progress.