New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): India's largest automobile in-plant railway siding at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar facility started operation on Tuesday, in the presence of Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

The Manesar railway siding, registered under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, has been developed as part of the 126 Km 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, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has committed to invest Rs 325 crore in developing HORC. Additionally, MSIL has invested about Rs 127 crore towards internal yard development.

Overall, MSIL's total investment is about Rs 452 crore.

Hisashi Takeuchi, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, 'We are very happy that India's largest automobile in-plant railway siding is inaugurated today at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar facility. We are deeply grateful to the visionary leadership of the Union Minister for Railways and the Government of India's focused implementation of seamless multi-modal connectivity promoting green logistics. 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. We are also highly thankful to Government of Haryana and Chief Minister for their timely support and guidance on this project.'

He added, '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. Lowering carbon emissions remains a top priority at Maruti Suzuki and we aim to achieve this, by increasing the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35 per cent by FY 2030-31.'

'The inauguration of India's largest GatiShakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal at Manesar, Gurugram is a matter of joy and pride for all of us!... This pioneering project of Haryana will start a golden chapter of development. This project is an important step towards bringing revolutionary changes in the logistics sector under the 'PM Gati Shakti' campaign. This will give new speed, efficiency and convenience to industrial freight transport,' the Haryana chief minister said.

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

The siding also includes a two-floor station building, a dedicated pathway for guards and drivers along the tracks, advanced electronic train interlocking and more.

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. The railway siding will have a dispatch capability of 450,000 vehicles at full capacity.

MSIL has dispatched 2.5 million (25 lakh) vehicles cumulatively through railways since FY 2014-15. Its green logistics efforts align with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 13 on climate action, reinforcing the Company's vision for a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future. (ANI)