Options Study for Development Along the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor

Project Summary:

This multi-year program for Indian officials, including the Ministry of Urban Development, analyzed economic and physical development opportunities associated with connectivity improvements through a 1,839-km corridor. Already embarking on low-carbon transition, the program also identified options to maximize those opportunities, including good policies and programs. The team also summarized the socio-economic and demographic profile of the six states lining the corridor and identified the most promising three sub- regions in the state of Uttar Pradesh as potential industrial and logistic hubs for continued in-depth studies.  

List of Activities:

• Supporting green urban development along India’s Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), which is currently under construction with World Bank support
• Supporting analytical work to set-out options for green urban development along the EDFC in response to a specific request that has been received from the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India
• Ensuring that the carbon footprint of urban development along the EDFC is minimized, based on the Korean experience in the development of such green secondary cities (i.e., Sejong city)

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Intermediate report on initial corridor diagnostics covering: detailed economic, demographic & institutional analysis (including analysis of land delivery systems) of locations along the EDFC; and estimates of freight & passenger trip volumes, as well as mode splits for freight & passenger movements along the EDFC corridor under different scenarios, etc.

Output 2:

• Intermediate report on likely development patterns along the EDFC based on spatial economic analysis of the changing economic geography of market potential associated with EDFC investments and various scenarios, selective reconnaissance survey and feedback from consultative events with central government entities and the states

Output 3:

• Final options paper on green urban development scenarios and recommendations supporting each scenario along the EDFC

Outcomes:

The program intends to produce three main outputs: 1) intermediate report on initial corridor diagnostics, 2) intermediate report on likely development patterns along the EDFC, and 3) final options paper on green urban development scenarios and recommendations supporting each scenario along the EDFC. It utilizes two main results indicators: 1) dissemination of findings from analytical work on the options for green urban development along the EDFC to relevant actors in central and state governments, as evidenced by the successful holding of a series of consultative events, and 2) MoUD and GoI policy on green urban development along the EDFC informed, as evidenced by references in policy speeches, official documentation etc. to the options for such development as set-out in a Bank prepared “options paper”.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

Leveraging on the Bank’s existing partnership with the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS) in key Flagship activities – notably, in the formation of a network of urban practitioners – this program has provided an opportunity to extend this collaboration.