Ganga Expressway to cut freight time, unlock Rs 30,000 cr annual savings on logistics

The newly-opened 594-km Ganga Expressway is expected to significantly reduce freight transit time across Uttar Pradesh, unlock annual logistics savings of up to Rs 30,000 crore and spur industrial and warehousing growth across more than a dozen districts, according to government estimates and industry players.

The six-lane expressway, expandable to eight lanes, connects Meerut to Prayagraj through 12 districts, and is being projected as a major logistics and industrial corridor linking western and eastern UP.

Industry estimates suggest UP currently handles around 245-260 million tonnes of intra-state freight annually, largely comprising food grains, construction material and retail goods, while outbound freight volumes are estimated at 135-150 million tonnes, driven by electronics, leather and agricultural produce.

UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta told PTI that the expressway would become ''a new chapter'' in the state's economy by accelerating industrial development, logistics, agriculture, tourism and employment generation.

Gupta said the project, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29 in Hardoi, has reduced travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj from around 10-12 hours to nearly 5-8 hours.

''The expressway is not merely a road project but an integrated manufacturing and logistics corridor. Faster freight movement and reduced transportation costs can generate annual logistics savings of Rs 25,000-30,000 crore,'' Gupta told PTI.

He said that the state has already received 987 investment proposals worth about Rs 46,660 crore along the corridor, with 12 industrial nodes being developed over 6,507 acres.

Sectors, including manufacturing, textiles, food processing, pharmaceuticals, electronics, warehousing and e-commerce, are expected to benefit, while proposed pharma, textile and IT parks could create large-scale employment opportunities, he said.

Dipanjan Banerjee, Chief Commercial Officer at Blue Dart, said that the expressway would fundamentally reshape logistics operations in UP by reducing dependence on traditional routing hubs.

''The missing link has been a seamless northern corridor connecting the NCR belt directly to eastern districts. The Ganga Expressway effectively bridges that gap,'' he told PTI.

Banerjee said the state was emerging as a major logistics market due to rising consumption, industrial clusters and rapid growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

He added that sectors such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, agri-produce and FMCG would particularly benefit from faster and more predictable freight movement.

Jitendra Srivastava, CEO of Triton Logistics & Maritime, said the expressway would improve supply chain predictability and strengthen links to air cargo and freight corridors.

He said the northern region currently accounts for around 31.3 per cent of India's air freight movement, and the expressway would help streamline cargo movement towards airports and ports.

''The corridor will improve movement of perishables, textiles and electronics and enhance UP's global trade competitiveness,'' he said.

Nikhil Agarwal, President of CJ Darcl Logistics Ltd, said the expressway was already generating interest among companies looking to establish warehousing and distribution centres in cities such as Prayagraj, Hardoi and Shahjahanpur.

He further said that improved connectivity and relatively lower land costs along the corridor were making outsourced logistics and warehousing models commercially viable.

''The next phase of logistics growth in India will not be driven by metros alone, but by emerging corridors such as this,'' Agarwal told PTI.

Officials said the expressway would also strengthen connectivity with other major corridors, including the Agra-Lucknow, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Delhi-Mumbai and Ganga expressways, besides supporting future industrial and export-oriented growth in the state.

The expressway passes through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj.

According to Minister Gupta, the project is expected to contribute over Rs 1 lakh crore to the state economy in the long run and support UP's target of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy.

The expressway is also set for further expansion in future to connect with Uttarakhand.

During the inauguration of the project on April 29, Prime Minister Modi noted that the Ganga Expressway, whose foundation stone was laid in December 2021, has been completed in less than five years and is among the country's largest expressways.

The prime minister said that work has also begun on its expansion and that the expressway will soon extend beyond Meerut to Haridwar, besides being linked to other expressways through the proposed Farrukhabad Link Expressway.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)