Maruti Suzuki Starts Operations At India's Largest In-Plant Railway Siding

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.'s in-plant railway siding at its Manesar facility in Haryana began operations on Tuesday, the company said in a statement. The siding, registered under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, was inaugurated by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

This is Maruti Suzuki’s second railway siding and the largest of its kind in the country, with an annual dispatch capacity of 450,000 vehicles at full scale. It is part of the 126-kilometre Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor, which links Sonipat and Palwal, and was executed by Haryana Orbital Rail Corp. Ltd., a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Haryana government under a public-private partnership model.

The Swift maker joined the special purpose vehicle for the corridor and committed to invest ₹3.25 billion. Including additional spending, its total investment in the project stands at ₹4.52 billion, the company said.

"Lowering carbon emissions remains a top priority at Maruti Suzuki, and we aim to achieve this by raising the share of vehicle dispatches via railways to 35% by 2030-31," said Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi.

The railway siding at Manesar includes a fully electrified corridor with four full-length tracks for rakes and one engine escape track. It will cater to models manufactured at both Gurugram and Manesar plants and connect to 18 hubs that serve 380 cities.

The siding also supports export operations through the Mundra and Pipavav ports in Gujarat. Maruti Suzuki has dispatched 2.5 million units from its Gujarat siding since 2014-15