Why logistics firms and manufacturers are betting big on Ganga Expressway

UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta told PTI that the expressway would become “a new chapter” in the state’s economy. Travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj, he said, has come down from 10–12 hours to approximately 5–8 hours.

The freight numbers behind the pitch

Uttar Pradesh currently handles an estimated 245–260 million tonnes of intra-state freight annually, largely comprising food grains, construction material and retail goods. Outbound freight volumes are pegged at 135–150 million tonnes, driven by electronics, leather goods and agricultural produce.

“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.

The state has already received 987 investment proposals worth roughly Rs 46,660 crore along the corridor, with 12 industrial nodes being developed across 6,507 acres. Sectors including manufacturing, textiles, food processing, pharmaceuticals, electronics, warehousing and e-commerce are among those identified as likely beneficiaries.

Industry reads an opportunity

Dipanjan Banerjee, Chief Commercial Officer at Blue Dart, told PTI that the expressway would fundamentally reshape logistics operations in the state 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 noted that UP was emerging as a significant logistics market driven by rising consumption, industrial clusters and growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, with sectors such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, agri-produce and FMCG standing to gain the most from more predictable freight movement.

Jitendra Srivastava, CEO of Triton Logistics & Maritime, said the corridor would also improve supply chain links to air cargo networks. The northern region currently accounts for around 31.3 per cent of India’s air freight movement, and better surface connectivity, he argued, would help streamline cargo flows toward airports and ports. “The corridor will improve movement of perishables, textiles and electronics and enhance UP’s global trade competitiveness,” Srivastava told PTI.

Warehousing interest picks up

Nikhil Agarwal, President of CJ Darcl Logistics, said companies were already scouting locations along the corridor for warehousing and distribution centres, with cities such as Prayagraj, Hardoi and Shahjahanpur drawing early interest. He attributed this to a combination of improved connectivity and relatively lower land costs, which are making outsourced logistics models commercially viable in these markets.

“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.

Connectivity and future expansion

The expressway passes through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj, and is expected to improve linkages with existing corridors, including the Agra-Lucknow, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal and Delhi-Mumbai expressways.

Plans are also underway to extend the corridor beyond Meerut to Haridwar, and link it further via a proposed Farrukhabad Link Expressway. An eventual connection to Uttarakhand is also on the drawing board.

The foundation stone for the project was laid in December 2021, and Modi, while inaugurating it, noted that the expressway had been completed in under five years.

According to Minister Gupta, the project is expected to contribute over Rs 1 lakh crore to the state economy over the long run.