Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) on Tuesday started India’s largest automobile in-plant railway siding at its Manesar facility, in which the company has invested a total of ₹452 crore and it aims to increase the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35 per cent by FY30-31.
MSIL has dispatched 25-lakh vehicles cumulatively through railways since FY14-15, the company said. In March 2024, it became the first automobile company to establish an in-plant railway siding at its Gujarat manufacturing plant.
The Manesar railway siding, registered under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, has been developed as part of the 126 Km Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) running from Sonipat to Palwal in Haryana.
The project has been executed by Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Ltd (HORCL), a joint venture (JV) company. As part of the JV, MSIL has committed to invest ₹325 crore for the development of HORC. Additionally, it has invested around ₹127 crore towards internal yard development, the company said.
“Aligned to the PM’s Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the company’s second in-plant railway siding facility signifies a landmark achievement in its green logistics journey... lowering carbon emissions remains a top priority at Maruti Suzuki and we aim to achieve this, by increasing the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35 per cent by FY 2030-31,” Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, MSIL, said.
The project underscores our strong commitment to India’s net zero emissions target 2070. It will contribute to avoiding 1.75 lakh tonne of CO2e emissions, saving 60 million litre of fuel annually at full capacity, and reducing road congestion, he added.
Spread over 46 acres inside the MSIL Manesar facility, the railway siding features a fully electrified corridor having four full length tracks for rakes and one track for engine escape, totalling to 8.2 kms of track length.
Models manufactured at MSIL’s Gurugram and Manesar facilities will be dispatched to 17 hubs from this railway siding serving 380 cities across India. Port locations of Mundra and Pipavav, used by the company for exports, will also be served. The railway siding will have a dispatch capability of 4.50 lakh vehicles at full capacity, the company added.