India’s first automobile in-plant railway siding project of Maruti Suzuki in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD : India’s first automobile in-plant railway siding — built at Hansalpur unit of Maruti Suzuki in Gujarat — will help the automobile manufacturer transport three lakh “finished car dispatches” by train, thereby helping the company “eliminate 50,000 truck-trips every year”.The in-plant railway siding built by Maruti at the cost of ₹105 crore is linked to the Katosan-Becharaji-Ranauj route which has been converted to Broad Gauge at cost of ₹976 crore by Bahucharaji Rail Corporation Ltd which is a joint venture between MSIL, G-Ride and GIDC. The siding is the one of the projects inaugurated by PM Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to Gujarat on Tuesday, 12th March.

“Logistics can be a good way of reducing carbon. By eliminating 50,000 truck trips per annum, we will be saving 35 million litres of fossil fuel and reducing carbon emissions by 1650 metric tonnes,” said Rahul Bharti, Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, MSIL.

The cars from the Hansalpur manufacturing facility in Gujarat will be sent to 15 different cities through the Indian railway network. A portion of the car produced in this facility will also travel on the same rail network to Mundra and Pipavav ports for exports. “Maruti is exporting 42 per cent of all cars produced in India,” he said.

“Our penetration of car dispatch is highest among all car manufacturers in the country. Till now we have dispatched about 18 lakh cars by railways and this year till February, we have transported 4.09 lakh cars,” Bharti added. 

Maruti Suzuki is also in the process of building a similar railway siding at its plant in Haryana. “Going forward, we will be able to save about 20 per cent time in dispatches while using trains,” he said, adding that transporting by rail is marginally cheaper than using roadways.