Free-fall proper time in Schwarzschild spacetime ($d\tau =dt+\frac{\sqrt{2M/r}}{1-2M/r}dr$)

The inward radial geodesic congruence with unit Killing energy has $U=f^{-1}{\partial }_t-\sqrt{2M/r}{\partial }_r$, where $f=1-2M/r$. Its metric dual is $U^{♭}=-d\tau$, so $\tau$ is a synchronized proper time for the congruence. Locally $\tau =t+2\sqrt{2Mr}+2M\log |(\sqrt{r}-\sqrt{2M})/(\sqrt{r}+\sqrt{2M})|$. This yields Painlevé–Gullstrand coordinates with flat spatial slices and a regular future horizon.

A radial observer released from rest at infinity has $dr/d\tau =-\sqrt{2M/r}$. Integration from $r=2M$ to $r=0$ gives $\Delta \tau ={\int }_0^{2M}\sqrt{r/(2M)}dr=4M/3$ in geometric units. In ordinary units it is $4GM/(3c^3)$. The endpoint is the curvature singularity, not a regular spacetime centre; this value belongs to that specified energy, not every possible infalling worldline.