A large Logisitic Hub is proposed in Meerut, which is well connected to EDFC and several expressways.
The Eastern DFC will mostly have double tracks and will be electrified, but the section from Ludhiana to Khurja (365 km) will be single line electrified due to lack of space. This freight corridor will cover a total distance of 1,839 km. This corridor is having a 46 km branch line which is joining Khurja (Bulandshahr district) on the Eastern DFC with Dadri (Gautam Buddha Nagar district) on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (Western DFC).
As of August 2023, 1150 km or 86% of the Eastern DFC has been completed and 99% required land for these have been acquired.[3] First two DFCs, Western DFC, from Dadri, Uttar Pradesh to JNPT (Navi Mumbai) and Eastern DFC from Punjab to West Bengal, which will decongest the railway network by moving 70% of India's goods trains to these two corridors.
The land around the departure points of Meerut, from where the expressway is to start, will be developed for industries.
Ashok Agarwal, national president, Indian Industries Association (IIA), said "We have also received queries related to the allotment of land along the Ganga Expressway from investors. Most of the queries are for land in Meerut, Budaun and its adjoining areas".
Government proposed following investment zones -
Meerut along Delhi Meerut Expressway
Meerut Muzaffarnagar Investment region
Dadri Noida Ghaziabad Investment Region
Construction
This corridor is divided into multiple sections for contracting purposes.[5][6]
Built by Alstom at Prayagraj, OCC will house command and control center to monitor all trains and power supply systems on Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.[11] It will be staffed by 150 people and the facility is spread across 4.2 acres.[12][13]
2018-19: DFC is revived by the Union government after a decade of inactivity, with a target of going live by March 2023. However, the COVID crisis stalls the project's progress, and the timelines are shifted by a year. A major part of the project becomes operational by 2023. [citation needed]
Jun 2023: 77% of the DFC is completed and the project is set to be completed by the end of 2023. [14]
Oct 2023: The last leg of the Eastern DFC underwent a successful trial run. With this, the line is completed to Son Nagar.[15]