Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki India dispatched over 5.85 lakh vehicles by the railway network in 2025, a record number for the company in a single year. This marked an 18% growth over 2024 and the share of rail now accounts for about 26% of its outbound vehicle movement, up sharply from 5.1% in 2016.The shift towards rail-based logistics has led to an estimated avoidance of nearly 87,904 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and fuel savings of more than 687 lakh litres during the year, the company said.Rail dispatch volumes for Maruti have grown more than seven-and-a-half times over the past decade, from about 77,000 vehicles in 2016 to over 5.85 lakh units in 2025. The move has also helped reduce road congestion and dependence on fossil fuel imports, it said.
Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, said 2025 marked a milestone for the company’s logistics operations. “The year 2025 marks our highest-ever rail dispatch… During the year, we strengthened our green logistic efforts through two landmark events – inauguration of India’s largest automobile in-plant railway siding at our Manesar facility, and second was we dispatched vehicles by rail to Kashmir valley through the world’s highest railway arch bridge over Chenab river, a first by any automobile manufacturer.”Takeuchi said the company’s mid-term goal is to increase rail-based vehicle dispatches to 35% by FY2030-31 as it works towards aiding India’s net-zero ambition by 2070. “Maruti has adopted a comprehensive ‘Circular Mobility’ approach to sustainability, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint across the entire vehicle lifecycle—from design and production to logistics and end-of-life vehicle (ELV) management”Maruti was the first automobile company to obtain an AFTO (Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator) license, back in 2013. Since FY 2014-15, it has transported over 28 lakh vehicles from 22 destinations servicing over 600 cities pan India through a hub and spoke model.Currently, the company uses over 45 flexi deck rakes, each with a capacity of carrying around 260 vehicles per trip.In CY 2025, rail dispatches from Maruti Suzuki’s in-plant railway siding at Gujarat and Manesar facility accounted for 53% of the Company’s total rail dispatches.
