Maruti Suzuki Crosses 1 Million Rail Dispatches, Eyes 35% Share by FY31

Maruti Suzuki India announced on Friday that it has crossed the milestone of dispatching one million vehicles through dedicated in-plant railway terminals in just over three years. The country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer launched these integrated freight transport lines to load cars directly onto freight trains from its manufacturing sites, bypassing the traditional intermediate step of moving vehicles by road to external railway stations.

The automaker initiated operations from its first in-plant railway siding at Hansalpur in Gujarat in March 2023, followed by a second facility at Manesar in Haryana in June 2025. Out of the one million cumulative dispatches recorded across both sites, the Gujarat terminal accounted for approximately 7.9 lakh units, while the Manesar siding handled roughly 2.1 lakh vehicles.

The expansion of in-plant railway infrastructure has altered Maruti Suzuki's dispatch patterns significantly during the current financial year. The company reported that 70 percent of its total rail-based vehicle dispatches in the current fiscal are moving directly through these two in-plant terminals. Cumulative rail dispatches for the current financial year crossed 300,000 units by August 31.

Company leadership noted that the broader integration of freight rail into the supply chain has grown substantially over the past decade. The proportion of total vehicle dispatches handled by railways rose from 5 percent in fiscal 2014-15 to 26.5 percent in fiscal 2025-26.

Maruti Suzuki holds the distinction of being the first and only passenger vehicle manufacturer in India equipped with in-plant railway sidings at its production hubs. The infrastructure initiative was developed under the federal PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, designed to streamline multi-modal connectivity, lower highway freight density, and curb carbon emissions.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO at Maruti Suzuki India Limited, described the milestone as a core component of the company's environmental strategy. Reaching one million cumulative vehicle dispatches through in-plant railway sidings marks a landmark achievement in the brand's green logistics journey, Takeuchi stated, emphasizing that integrated multi-modal infrastructure delivers both operational efficiencies and environmental benefits.

Looking ahead, the automaker has established a mid-term objective to elevate its total rail-based dispatch share to 35 percent by fiscal 2030-31. Achieving this target will involve continued capital expenditure in freight logistics, including the construction of a dedicated in-plant railway siding at the upcoming manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda.