In a significant push towards green logistics, Maruti Suzuki India Limited has set a new benchmark by dispatching over 5.18 lakh vehicles through Indian Railways during the financial year 2024-25. This achievement not only highlights the company’s dedication to sustainable operations but also marks its highest-ever annual rail dispatch volume, accounting for nearly 25% of its total vehicle dispatches in the fiscal year.
By leveraging the rail network, Maruti Suzuki successfully avoided over 1.8 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions and saved more than 63 million litres of fuel. The company currently uses rail transport to reach over 600 cities across India via more than 20 logistics hubs. Export operations through ports like Mundra and Pipavav are also supported by railway connectivity, reinforcing the company’s strategy to lower its environmental impact.
Pioneering Sustainable Vehicle Transportation
Maruti Suzuki has been a pioneer in adopting railway logistics, becoming the first Indian automobile company to receive an Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator (AFTO) license in 2013. Since then, the company has cumulatively dispatched around 24 lakh vehicles through railways, an eightfold increase since FY 2014-15.
In 2024, the company achieved another major milestone when the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India inaugurated India’s first in-plant railway siding at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat manufacturing facility. Currently, the company operates over 40 flexi-deck rakes, each capable of transporting approximately 300 vehicles per trip.
Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi reiterated the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability, stating that reducing carbon emissions remains a key priority. He also revealed the company’s future ambition—to raise the share of vehicle dispatches via railways to 35% by FY 2030-31.
The logistics emission data is now being reported using the globally recognized GLEC (Global Logistics Emissions Council) framework, underscoring Maruti Suzuki’s transparency and accountability in environmental reporting.