Maruti Suzuki connects Manesar plant with railway line

India’s biggest carmaker by volume, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd , on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s largest automobile in-plant railway siding at its Manesar plant as it looks to expand its logistics capacity.

The Manesar railway siding, registered under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, will have a dispatch capability of 450,000 vehicles at full capacity.

The Manesar siding has been developed as part of the 126 kilometres Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) running from Sonipat to Palwal in the state of Haryana.

The project has been executed by a joint venture company called Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Ltd (HORCL). Under the joint venture, MSIL has committed to invest ₹325 crore in developing HORC. Additionally, Maruti Suzuki has invested about ₹127 crore towards internal yard development. Overall, MSIL’s total investment is about ₹452 crore.

“Aligned to the PM’s GatiShakti National Master Plan, the company’s second in-plant railway siding facility signifies a landmark achievement in its green logistics journey,” says Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki.

Maruti Suzuki plans to increase the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35% by the financial year 2030-31

“The project underscores our strong commitment to India’s Net Zero emissions target 2070. It will contribute to avoiding 175,000 tonne of CO2e emissions, saving 60 million litre of fuel annually at full capacity, and reducing road congestion,” said Takeuchi.

Spread over 46 acres inside the MSIL Manesar facility, the railway siding features a fully electrified corridor having 4 full-length tracks for rakes and 1 track for engine escape, totalling to 8.2 kilometres of track length.

The siding also includes a two-floor station building, dedicated pathway for guards and drivers along the tracks. Models manufactured at MSIL’s Gurugram and Manesar facilities will be dispatched to 17 hubs from this railway siding serving 380 cities across India. Port locations of Mundra and Pipavav, used by the company for exports, will also be served.

MSIL has dispatched 2.5 million (25 lakh) vehicles cumulatively through railways since 2014-15.

Background on Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC)

A 126 Km HORC connects Sonipat to Palwal via Kharkhoda, Patli, Manesar, Sohna etc. The project is being executed by a joint venture company called Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Limited (HORCL). The joint venture is a collaboration between Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (HRIDC), Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HSIIDC), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), All Cargo Logistics and Maruti Suzuki. HORCL has appointed HRIDC for construction of the entire 126Km Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor over the next 5-6 years. The total project cost is estimated at ₹11,709 crore. The equity contribution under the joint venture stands at 55.4% for HRIDC, 19% for HSIIDC, 13% for Maruti Suzuki, 7.6% for All Cargo Logistics and 5% for GMDA.

In the first phase of HORC, a 5.7km track connecting Patli, a junction on the existing rail line to Manesar station on HORC has been constructed. An additional 1.2 km track has been constructed connecting Manesar station to MSIL’s Manesar facility boundary as part of the project.