Faridabad Industrial Area: Powering Logistics with Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) Development

Over the years, India's freight industry experienced an upward trajectory and became the backbone of trade across the vast and diverse Indian landscape. As the logistics sector makes up nearly 5% of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the freight industry is also growing concurrently. India's national freight activity is set to grow fivefold by 2050 and is already instrumental in streamlining import and export to improve international competitiveness, generate jobs and employment, reduce logistical costs, and bolster supply chains.

The Indian Government has also reiterated the importance of freight services across industries by initiating a City Logistics Plan, specifically for metropolises like Delhi and Bengaluru. The plan will focus on creating efficient freight and logistics movement to support businesses in and around Delhi NCR. Delhi NCR is home to burgeoning industries like the IT sector, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, electronics, healthcare, and more, and it boasts an efficient freight ecosystem. The region also provides unmatched connectivity to the nation's most prominent dedicated freight corridors. At the heart of this rapidly evolving freight ecosystem lies Lodha Industrial Park (LIP) Faridabad, strategically positioned to leverage India’s dedicated freight corridors (DFCs). Here's how:

LIP Faridabad: Offering Unparalleled Connectivity

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) were introduced in the Parliament in 2005, and the DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited) was incorporated in 2006. Since then, DFCCIL has been striving to partner with the Indian Railways to build corridors that enable the country's robust railway network to function as effective freight transport. LIP Faridabad is a state-of-the-art logistics park built close to the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors. Here's a handy guide on how the corridors function and improve operations for businesses in and around the area:

a) Eastern DFC:

Route and Connectivity:

• Length: The Eastern DFC spans 1876 km.
• Starting and Ending Points: The Eastern DFC consists of two distinct segments: a 1409km electrified double-track segment beginning in West Bengal and ending at Khurja in Uttar Pradesh and an electrified single-track segment spanning 447 km between Ludhiana-Khurja-Dadri (Punjab-Haryana-Uttar Pradesh).
• States and Cities Covered: The Eastern DFC runs through states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Due to lack of space, the corridor circumvents densely populated areas and makes use of junction arrangements to divert traffic from Indian Railways towards the DFC. The corridor passes through cities and towns like Dankuni, Andal, Gomoh, Sonnagar, Naini/Cheoki, Prempur, Bhaupur, Tundla, Daudkhan, Khurja, Kalanaur, Rajpura, Dhandarikalan, and more. Since the corridor passes through Dadri in Greater Noida, it is only 40-60km away from LIP Faridabad, allowing you to access the DFC and the connectivity it affords with great ease.

Benefits:

• Quick and Efficient Transport: The average speed of trains running through the Eastern DFC has been 99.38 km/hr, breaking the Newman Barrier for freight trains. As of 2024, almost 200 trains ran through the corridor daily at a 40-50% capacity, with the potential to grow to 150%. These figures indicate that the Eastern DFC plays a crucial role in helping businesses along its route transport raw materials and finished products quickly and efficiently.
• Boost to Sectors: The Eastern DFC diverts traffic to power plants in the northern regions of the U.P., Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan. It also supports supply chains across Eastern coal fields and industries dealing in finished steel, food grains, cement, fertilisers, and more.
• Reduces Costs: DFCs have been instrumental in optimising commercial transport across the country, causing a 50% reduction in travel time and increasing the average freight speed. Since the Eastern DFC makes transportation to and from the north-eastern belt easier, quicker, and more efficient, it helps businesses in the area cut down on costs.
• Decongest Traffic: The Eastern DFC circumvents densely populated areas already packed with traffic and diverts freight to smaller cities and towns in the area. Doing so helps decongest already jam-packed roads and makes freight travel quicker and more cost-effective.
• Promotes International Trade: The East Coast DFC also provides port connectivity, allowing businesses to engage in import/export endeavours and establish a foothold in the international market. Odisha's Paradeep, Dhamra, and Gopalpur Ports, and Andhra Pradesh's Vishakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and Machhalipatanam ports lie along this coastal DFC.
• Sustainability: Keeping in line with India's mission to get to net zero by 2070, the DFCs have been designed to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the transport sector. DFCs have been estimated to save more than 450 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during the first 30 years of operation.

Status: Since April 2024, the entire stretch of the Eastern DFC has been declared as fully operational.

b) Western DFC:

Route and Connectivity:

• Length: The Western DFC spans across 1504 km.
• Starting and Ending Points: The Western DFC comprises a double-line electric track that runs from JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) in Mumbai to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.
• States and Cities Covered: The Western DFC runs through states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. It connects the two ends of the corridor via Vadodara-Ahmedabad-Palanpur-Phulera-Rewari. Since the Western DFC runs through Dadri, it is relatively close to LIP Faridabad, especially at points like Rewari and Palwal.

Benefits:

• Fast and Efficient Transport: The average speed for trains running through the Western DFC is 89.50 km/hr, comparable to the fastest mail express trains. Up to 120 trains run through the Western DFC daily and feature long-haul double-stack container trains that can carry 4x the load when compared to traffic on the Indian Railways.
• Boosts Industrial Growth: The Western DFC lends itself to the Make in India mission by connecting various sectors across the country's vast terrain. It helps businesses transport raw materials and finished goods and streamline their supply chain across Industries like automobile, textile, and petrochemicals. The Western DFC is also a key component of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) that connects two major metropolises and streamlines trade across the length of the nation.
• Reduced Logistics Costs: The Western DFC allows raw materials and finished goods to move across India's geography with greater ease and in quick time. As a result, it is set to help businesses lower logistical costs. The Western DFC is set to promise time-guaranteed deliveries and offer rail rates that are lower than existing prices by FY26.
• Decongest Traffic: The Western DFC will serve as a specific route for commercial transport, decongesting Indian railways. Already, the DFCCIL handles around 10% of the Indian Railways' total freight volume. Once completed, the Western DFC will contribute to traffic decongestion, allowing for the regular railway network to prioritise passenger needs.
• Port and Export Connectivity: The Western DFC connects one of the most prominent ports in India, the JNPT, to other ports like Mundra, Kandla, Pipava, Hazira, and more. The coastal connectivity offered by the Western DFC is likely to transform the freight landscape in India and promote export/import activities across sectors.
• Sustainability: The DFCCIL has designed freight corridors, including the electric tracks, to reduce carbon emissions and pollution and meet India's goal of achieving net zero by 2070.

Status: Is likely to reach completion by December 2025.

LIP Faridabad: Leverage Infrastructural Updates

LIP Faridabad has been constructed with a long-term vision of harnessing the infrastructure around it. Apart from proximity to the revolutionary Eastern and Western DFC, LIP Faridabad also allows businesses to make use of KMP, KGP, and DMIC to streamline their supply chain, improve logistics, cut down on costs, and tap into new consumer bases.

The KMP Expressway, or the Western Peripheral Highway, is a ring road surrounding Delhi that passes through Palwal (just south of Faridabad) and circumvents congested areas while connecting to major highways around the capital. KGP, also known as the Eastern Peripheral Highway, is the other connecting piece that forms a ring road around Delhi. It also passes through Palwal, allowing businesses at LIP Faridabad to make use of the ring road and enjoy quicker and more efficient transportation. Similarly, DMIC also passes through Palwal, only 20-30 km south of Faridabad. As a result, businesses at LIP Faridabad can also make optimal use of the corridor to tap into consumer markets in two of the biggest cities in India.

Faridabad, at the heart of NCR’s industrial belt, is fast emerging as a leading hub for logistics and manufacturing. Its strategic proximity to the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), KMP and KGP Expressways offers unmatched connectivity. Businesses looking for affordable warehousing in India or Warehouse in Faridabad, Warehouse for rent in Faridabad, and Warehouse for rent in Noida, premium industrial real estate in India can leverage Faridabad’s proximity to key areas including the Rewari industrial area, Sohna industrial area, Gurugram industrial area, IMT Manesar industrial area, Bhiwadi industrial area, and Okhla industrial area. This strategic location facilitates efficient supply chain management, last-mile logistics, and streamlined operations through distribution centers in India. Lodha Industrial Park Faridabad stands at the centre of this logistical transformation—offering future-ready infrastructure, customisation, and connectivity designed to power the next wave of growth in India’s industrial and logistics landscape.