Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated India’s first automobile in-plant railway siding at the Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG) plant. The new in-plant railway siding aims to make vehicle transportation more eco-friendly by reducing the carbon footprint.
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Maruti says that the in-plant railway siding will be able to transport over 3,00,000 cars annually to 15 destinations in India, when fully operational. This is the first collaboration between Maruti Suzuki India and Gujarat Rail Infrastructure Development (G-RIDE).
Speaking at the inauguration of the railway siding, Hisashi Takeuchi, MD and CEO - Maruti Suzuki said, "We are honoured to be part of the Prime Minister's ambitious Gati Shakti programme that fosters efficiencies in logistics. Today marks a significant milestone as we become India's first automobile company to have a railway siding facility within its manufacturing plant.”
“As we gear to double our production capacity from 20,00,000 units per annum to 40,00,000 units per annum by FY31, the dispatches of vehicles from railways will also increase multifold. This in-plant railway facility reinforces our commitment towards sustainable mobility,” he added further.
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The Suzuki Motor Gujarat plant is of massive importance to the automaker. The facility was recently acquired by Maruti Suzuki India from Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan for Rs 12,841.1 crore. It also has a massive production capacity of 750,000 units, with a fourth assembly line underway that will be operational by FY2026-27. The new assembly line is being built with an investment of Rs 3,200 crore and will increase the installed production capacity to one million units per annum.
Maruti has also been using waterways to transport its vehicles in order to reduce the burden on roadways and reduce logistics costs as well. The automaker has also been using railways to reach the extended parts of the country. The in-plant railway siding makes the logistics infrastructure a lot more convenient.
