Maruti Suzuki India has crossed a major milestone by shipping more than three million vehicles through railways in India. While this feat may not be directly related to sales or new launches, it highlights how the company is increasingly relying on rail transportation to move cars across the country. Over the past few years, Maruti Suzuki has continuously expanded its railway logistics network. In fiscal year 2014-15, only 5 percent of the company’s outbound vehicles were routed through the railways. This figure has now increased to 26.5 percent in the financial year 2025-26. Interestingly, the jump from 2 million to 3 million cumulative rail dispatches was achieved in just 21 months, making it the fastest million-milestone for the brand.
The company says it has invested over Rs 1,372 crore to develop green logistics infrastructure. This includes dedicated railway sidings at its Hansalpur and Manesar manufacturing plants, exclusive automobile freight rakes and rail yards at key logistics centres. Speaking on the occasion, Hisashi Takeuchi said Maruti Suzuki plans to increase the share of rail-based dispatch to 35 per cent by FY 2030-31. The company is also planning to add another in-plant railway siding at its upcoming Kharkhoda facility.Maruti Suzuki is currently the only passenger vehicle manufacturer in India to have railway sidings inside two of its production facilities – Hansalpur in Gujarat and Manesar in Haryana. Both were developed under the government’s PM Gatishakti National Master Plan. Hansalpur railway siding began operations in March 2023 and was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024. Earlier this year, the facility also became the world’s first model shift transportation project to be registered under Vera’s Verified Carbon Standard program.
The Manesar Railway Siding, which was inaugurated by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in 2025, is currently India’s largest automobile in-plant railway siding. Combined, the two facilities can ship 7.5 lakh vehicles annually and connect over 600 cities through 22 logistics hubs. The vehicles transported through this railway network include models like Maruti Suzuki Swift, Maruti Suzuki Dezire, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Maruti Suzuki Fronx and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. The company also uses railways to transport export vehicles to ports such as Mundra and Pipavav.
(TagstoTranslate)Railway vehicle dispatch(T)Green logistics infrastructure(T)In-plant railway siding(T)Automobile freight rake(T)Logistics hub(T)PM GatiShakti National Master Plan(T)Passenger vehicle manufacturers(T)Maruti Suzuki(T)Export vehicle transportation(T)Maruti Suzuki models
