Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) has inaugurated India’s largest in-plant railway siding for automobiles at its Manesar facility, with a total investment of Rs 4.52 billion. The move is part of the company’s long-term strategy to shift more vehicle dispatches to railways, targeting a 35 per cent share by the 2030–31 financial year.

Since 2014–15, MSIL has dispatched 2.5 million vehicles via railway, and in March 2024, it became the first Indian automaker to set up an in-plant siding at its Gujarat facility. The new Manesar railway siding is aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and forms part of the 126-km Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) stretching from Sonipat to Palwal.

The project has been developed by Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Ltd (HORCL), a joint venture in which MSIL has committed Rs 3.25 billion. An additional Rs 1.27 billion has been allocated for internal yard development within the Manesar facility.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of MSIL, said: “Aligned to the PM’s Gati Shakti National Master Plan, this second in-plant railway siding marks a milestone in our green logistics journey. Reducing carbon emissions remains a core priority, and we aim to achieve 35 per cent rail-based dispatches by FY 2030–31.”

The project is expected to avoid 175,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, save 60 million litres of fuel at full operational capacity, and reduce road congestion. Spread across 46 acres, the railway siding includes a fully electrified corridor with four full-length rake tracks and one engine escape track, totalling 8.2 km of track length.

Vehicles produced at MSIL’s Manesar and Gurugram plants will be dispatched to 17 logistics hubs, servicing 380 cities nationwide. Export hubs at Mundra and Pipavav ports will also be served. At full capacity, the siding will facilitate the dispatch of 450,000 vehicles annually.