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Maruti Suzuki First To Ship Cars To Kashmir Valley By Rail - Via World's Tallest Railway Bridge
India's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, has achieved a notable logistics milestone by sending its first batch of vehicles into the Kashmir Valley using the Indian Railways network. This move makes Maruti Suzuki the first automaker in India to send cars to the Kashmir Valley by rail.
The maiden rail consignment included over 100 units of popular models like Brezza, Dzire, WagonR and S-Presso. The train began its journey from Maruti's in-plant railway siding at Manesar and travelled more than 850 km to reach Anantnag in Jammu & Kashmir.
Along the route, the train crossed the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab River. That bridge was opened earlier in the year as a key segment of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project stands 359 metres over the Chenab River.
Addressing the development, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "In recent times, apples from the valley have been transported using the Jammu & Kashmir rail link. Now, Maruti Suzuki cars will be transported to Kashmir valley by rail. Jammu - Srinagar railway line is a game changer for the people of Jammu & Kashmir."
Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki India said, "Railway dispatches are central to our logistics strategy. We are grateful to the Hon'ble Prime Minister, under whose leadership, transformative infrastructure projects have come up across the country. The world's highest railway arch bridge over Chenab river is one such landmark, enabling seamless and efficient connectivity to Kashmir valley and allowing Maruti Suzuki to better serve customers in the region."
He added, "Aligned with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, Maruti Suzuki operates two in-plant railway sidings, inside its Manesar and Gujarat manufacturing plants. These enable vehicle movement directly from the Company's production facilities to different parts of the country."
Maruti Suzuki has long pushed railways as a greener, efficient transport mode for vehicles. The company secured the Automobile Freight Train Operator (AFTO) license in 2013, a first for India. Since 2014-15, it has moved more than 2.6 million vehicles via Indian Railways.
Using rail for car transport has helped reduce carbon emissions and take pressure off highways, Maruti claims. Extending direct rail access into Kashmir Valley now strengthens that green logistics push and improves reach to customers in that region.
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