Maruti Suzuki India Limited has achieved its highest ever rail-based vehicle dispatch with movement of over 5.85 lakh vehicles through Indian Railways in calendar year 2025. This milestone represents 18% year-on-year growth compared to CY 2024 and underlines the carmaker’s continued effort towards cleaner, more efficient outbound logistics.
Along with volume growth, the environmental impact has also been significant. Maruti Suzuki estimates that rail-based dispatch in CY 2025 helped avoid 87,904 metric tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions while saving over 687 lakh liters (68.7 million litres) of fuel. This change also contributes to reducing road congestion and dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Rail share increased five times in a decade
Maruti Suzuki’s dependence on rail transport has increased rapidly in the last decade. The share of rail in outbound logistics is projected to increase from 5.1% in 2016 to about 26% in 2025, an increase of more than five times. In absolute terms, rail dispatch volume has increased by more than 7.5 times, from around 77,000 vehicles in 2016 to over 5.85 lakh units in 2025.
Historical developments in 2025
CY 2025 was a defining year for the company’s green logistics strategy. Maruti Suzuki inaugurated India’s largest automobile in-plant railway siding at its Manesar facility, strengthening first-mile rail connectivity. The company also became the first automaker to send vehicles by rail to the Kashmir Valley, delivering consignments across the world’s highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab River.
Commenting on the achievement, Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi He said the company aims to increase rail-based remittances to 35% by fiscal 2030-31, in line with India’s long-term net-zero target for 2070. He also reiterated Maruti Suzuki’s comprehensive ‘Circular Mobility’ approach, which focuses on reducing emissions across the vehicle lifecycle – from design and manufacturing to logistics and end-of-life vehicle management.
long term rail logistics strategy
Maruti Suzuki has been at the forefront of adopting rail for automobile logistics. It was the first automaker in India to acquire an Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator (AFTO) license in 2013. Since financial year 2014-15, the company has transported over 28 lakh vehicles by rail, covering 22 despatch hubs and over 600 cities through a hub-and-spoke network.
Currently, Maruti Suzuki operates more than 45 flexi-deck rakes, each of which is capable of carrying around 260 vehicles per trip. In CY 2025, dispatches from the company’s Gujarat and Manesar in-plant railway sidings accounted for 53% of its total rail volumes, highlighting the growing role of integrated rail infrastructure in its logistics mix.