Over 500 thousand vehicles produced by Maruti Suzuki transported via rail in the fiscal years 2024-2025.

Maruti Suzuki Boosts Sustainable Transportation with Rail Mode

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the country's leading automobile manufacturer, has been revolutionizing vehicle transportation in India by leveraging the rail network. In the recently concluded financial year (2024-2025), the company moved over half a million vehicles by rail.

The journey began in 2013 when Maruti Suzuki became the first automobile company in India to obtain an Automobile Freight Train Operator (Afto) license. This license allows the company to operate high-speed, high-capacity finished vehicle carrying wagon rakes on the state-run Indian Railway's network.

In 2024, Maruti Suzuki opened India's first in-plant railway siding at its Gujarat assembly plant, with an annual capacity to dispatch 300,000 vehicles by rail to 15 destinations across the country. This collaboration with Indian Railways has proven to be a game-changer, resulting in the saving of approximately 180,000 tonnes of CO emissions and 630 million litres of fuel.

Since obtaining the Afto license, Maruti Suzuki has dispatched nearly 2.4 million vehicles through the rail mode. The company also uses rail to transport vehicles to the ports of Mundra and Pipavav for export. Currently, Maruti Suzuki dispatches vehicles to more than 20 hubs using rail, serving over 600 cities across India.

The Gujarat railway siding is a result of a collaboration between Maruti Suzuki India, Gujarat Rail Infrastructure Development (G-Ride), and Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC). The company is planning to establish a similar in-plant railway siding at its Manesar plant.

Hisashi Takeuchi, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, stated that reducing carbon emissions is a top priority for the company, both in products and operations. In line with this commitment, Maruti Suzuki aims to increase the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35% by FY 2030-31.

Maruti Suzuki uses 40 flexible deck auto rakes, each with a capacity for around 300 vehicles per journey. About a quarter of Maruti Suzuki's total vehicle distribution for the year was done via rail. Since the Afto license was obtained, the number of vehicles dispatched by rail has grown nearly eight times.

However, specific information about the cities served by Maruti Suzuki India's railway network in 2025 or the new railway line from the Gujarat assembly plant could not be found in the available data.

Despite this, it is clear that Maruti Suzuki is making significant strides in promoting sustainable transportation in India through its innovative use of the rail network. The company's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and promoting efficient transportation is commendable and sets a high standard for the industry.