Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor or Eastern DFC is a broad gauge freight corridor in India. The railway will run between Ludhiana in Punjab and Dankuni (near Kolkata) in West Bengal via Meerut and Khurja in Uttar Pradesh. [3] This railway line is one of the multiple freight corridors being constructed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL), a public-sector unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways.
Logistic Hub and Network
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. [4] 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 freight corridor will cover first 447 km of Ludhiana - Dhari - Khurja section with single electrified track. After this the remaining line will be double track electrified up to Dankuni in West Bengal. This will pass through the important districts of Sahnewal, Doraha, Ludhiana, Sirhind, Rajpura, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut (Logistic Hub), Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Barhan, Tundla, Firozabad, Etawah, Kanpur, Prayagraj and Chandauli. To reduce load over the main line, this line will have many junctions. The proposed junctions on this line are Dhandharikalan, Sirhind, Rajpura, Khalanaur, Khurja, Daudkhan, Tundla, Bhaupur, Prempur, Karchhana, Jeonathpur, Mughalsarai Junction railway station, Ganjkhwaja, Sasaram, Dehri On Sone, Son Nagar, Gomoh, Andal, Bardhaman and Dankuni (The eastern terminal point).
Eastern DFC | |
---|---|
State | Distance Covered |
Punjab | 88 |
Haryana | 72 |
Uttar Pradesh | 1076 |
Bihar | 236 |
Jharkhand | 199 |
West Bengal | 202 |
Total | 1873 |
A large logistic hub is also proposed in Meerut, since the city is suitable major hub due to its well connectivity and proximity with expressways like Delhi Meerut Expressway, Ganga Expressway, Delhi Mumbai Expressway, Yamuna Expressway and upcoming Meerut Haridwar Expressway. [5]
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 -
This corridor is divided into multiple sections for contracting purposes. [6] [7]
Eastern DFC | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Section | Distance in km | Route | Status | Project contractor | Completion Date |
Ludhiana - Khurja | 365 | Ludhiana-Ambala-Yamunanagar-Saharanpur-Muzaffarnagar-Meerut-Hapur-Bulandshahr-Khurja | Operational | GMR Group | 2023 August |
Dadri - Khurja (branch line) | 46 | Dadri-Khurja | Operational | GMR Group | 2022 October |
Khurja - Bhaupur | 351 | Khurja-Aligarh-Hathras-Tundla-Etawah-Bhaupur | Operational [8] | Tata Projects India- Aldesa Group [9] [10] | 2020 December |
Bhaupur - Manauri - New Ganjkhwaja | 279 | Bhaupur-Prempur-Manauri (near Prayagraj)-Chheoki East/ Karchhana west (near Prayagraj) - New Ganjkhwaja | Operational | GMR Group [11] | 2023 June |
New Ganjkhwaja - New Chiraila Pauthu | 123 | New Ganjkhwaja - Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar - New Chiraila Pauthu | Operational | GMR Group [11] | 2021 July |
New Chiraila Pauthu - Sonnagar | 137 | New Chiraila Pauthu - Dehri On Sone-Sonnagar | Operational | C&C Construction Gurgaon and BSCPL | 2021 December |
Sonnagar - Dankuni | 538 | Sonnagar-Gomoh-Dankuni | Under construction | PPP Model | |
Total | 1839 |
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. [12] It will be staffed by 150 people and the facility is spread across 4.2 acres. [13] [14]
Latest Map from DFCCIL: https://dfccil.com/images/uploads/img/MapDFC_NIZC.png
Meerut is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies 80 km (50 mi) northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and 480 km (300 mi) west of the state capital Lucknow.
Grand Chord is part of the Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line. It acts as a link between Sitarampur, (Asansol), and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction,, previously known as Mughalsarai Junction, and covers a stretch of 450.7 km (280.1 mi). The Coal India Corridor line that branches off from Dhanbad Junction and rejoins the Grand Chord at Son Nagar Junction is another major coal loading hub. It is a fully electrified, quadruple line section from Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay to Son Nagar and double line section from Son Nagar to Sitarampur. There are plans to triple the lines from Son Nagar to Dhanbad to accommodate the increasing traffic.. The entire line lies under the jurisdiction of three divisions, Mughalsarai railway division, Dhanbad railway division and Asansol railway division. The Grand chord section is the lifeline of the country, 2nd busiest railway section of India after Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Uttar Pradesh Main Line section, on which coal, steel and other important goods are moved from Eastern section to Western and Northern sections of the country. In the down direction, the traffic consists of mostly food grains, fertilizers and empty wagons for coal loading in the Jharkhand and West Bengal coal fields. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction is a transit division and the main objective is to maintain mobility of high density traffic. The present capacity of the Grand Chord is being optimally utilized. Traversing through Chota Nagpur Plateau of Jharkhand as well as parts of the fertile Gangetic plains of Bihar, the Grand Chord covers a stretch of 450.7 km (280.1 mi). The Grand Chord is renowned for its remarkable controlling of passenger traffic, despite being burdened with freight traffic.
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a planning region centered upon the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi in India. It encompasses Delhi and several districts surrounding it from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The NCR and the associated National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) were created in 1985 to plan the development of the region and to evolve harmonized policies for the control of land-uses and development of infrastructure in the region. Prominent cities of NCR include Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Noida.
Dankuni is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is now part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is considered posh area in Hooghly. Positioned strategically near Kolkata, it has emerged as an important industrial and commercial center in the region. The city's landscape is characterized by a mix of residential areas and industrial zones, reflecting its dual identity as a place of habitation and economic activity.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India with a population of nearly 240 million people. The economy of Uttar Pradesh is the fifth largest among states in India. At current prices, the gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh is estimated to be Rs. 24.99 trillion in 2022–23. Merchandise exports from Uttar Pradesh reached US$21.03 billion in FY22.
Noida International Airport, also known as Jewar Airport, is an upcoming international airport being constructed near Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh in India, which will serve the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport is situated in the new planned YEIDA city.
The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) is an authority set up in 2007 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh to develop expressway projects in the state. The headquarters of UPEIDA is located at Paryatan Bhawan in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow.
Dankuni Junction is a railway junction on the Howrah–Bardhaman chord and is located in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The station is linked with both Howrah and Sealdah.
The Amritsar Delhi Kolkata Industrial corridor (ADKIC) is a proposed economic corridor in India between the cities of Amritsar, Delhi and Kolkata, developed by the Government of India.
The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor or Western DFC is a 1,506 km long, under-construction 1,676 mm freight corridor in India. It will connect Dadri in Uttar Pradesh with Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai, Raigad District, Maharashtra. The corridor is being built by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), a public-sector unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways and would be electrified with double-line operation. The Western DFC entails a new single-line branch from Prithla in Palwal district to Tughlakabad in Delhi, running parallel to the existing New Delhi–Faridabad–Palwal railway line.
Meerut City, or Meerut City Junction, is the main railway station in the city of Meerut. It is a junction of Meerut–Bulandshahr–Khurja line and Delhi–Meerut–Saharanpur line. Double lining of Meerut–Saharanpur section is on full swing.
Khurja Junction railway station is a railway station at Khurja in Bulandshahr district on the North Central Railway network. It is an important station on the New Delhi–Aligarh–Kanpur main line.
The 14163 / 64 Prayagraj Junction–Meerut City Sangam Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – North Central Railway zone that runs between Prayagraj Junction and Meerut City in India.
Hapur Junction railway station is the main railway station serving Hapur city in the Hapur district, Uttar Pradesh. Its code is HPU. The station consists of five platforms. Hapur is a major railway junction of northern India. Two lines – Delhi–Moradabad and Meerut–Bulandshahr–Khurja – pass through the city.
Dadri railway station is a railway station serving the city of Dadri in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India, on the Delhi–Aligarh–Kanpur section, around 50 km east of Delhi. Its station code in Indian Railways terminology is DER. Dadri is a wayside station at which only a few commuter trains stop. The station consists of four platforms which are not well sheltered and lack most facilities including sanitation.
Phaphund railway station is an "A" graded railway station in Auraiya district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its code is PHD. It serves Auraiya district and Dibiyapur city. It is located on the Kanpur–Delhi section of Howrah–Delhi main line and Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line. It is one of the main serving railway stations on the Kanpur–Delhi section of the Prayagraj railway division. Built during British rule, the station is owned by Indian Railways and operated by North Central Railway and consists of five tracks and four platforms.
East Coast Dedicated Freight Corridor or East Coast DFC is a proposed freight specific railway in India under the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). It will be constructed by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) of Indian Railways. It is going to be a broad gauge double line-electrified corridor. This corridor will cover a total distance of 1,100 km (680 mi). This corridor will run from Kharagpur in West Bengal to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. The total cost of the project would be around ₹44,000 crore.
The rail network in the state of Haryana in India, is covered by five rail divisions under three rail zones: North Western Railway zone, Northern Railway zone and North Central Railway zone.
The Rajpura–Bathinda line is a railway line connecting Bathinda and Rajpura in the Indian state of Punjab. The line is under the administrative jurisdiction of Northern Railway.
The Dedicated freight corridors in India are a network of broad gauge freight railway lines that solely serve freight trains, thus making the freight service in India faster and efficient. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is responsible for undertaking planning, development, mobilisation of financial resources and construction, maintenance & operation of these corridors.