India's largest automobile cargo terminal inaugurated at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday inaugurated the country's largest automobile
Gati Shakti
Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal at
Maruti Suzuki
India Ltd.'s plant in Manesar,
Haryana
.
The terminal, developed under the Gati Shakti initiative, is connected to the Patli railway station through a dedicated 10-km rail link. The link is part of the 121.7 km-long Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor being built by the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC). The project cost ₹800 crore, with HRIDC contributing ₹684 crore and the remainder funded by Maruti Suzuki.
The terminal has a loading capacity of 4.5 lakh vehicles per year, making it the highest among all automobile cargo terminals in India.
Speaking at the event, Vaishnaw said the Indian Railways has undergone a major transformation in the past decade. 'Before 2014, the Railways' annual budget was around ₹25,000 crore. Today, it stands at ₹2.5 lakh crore. In the last one year alone, over 1,200 general coaches have been added,' he said.
He announced that more than 100
MEMU trains
will be upgraded to 16–20 coaches to meet rising demand from short-distance commuters. A new manufacturing facility for MEMU trains has also been set up in Kazipet, Andhra Pradesh.
Highlighting Indian Railways' performance, Vaishnaw said around 720 crore passengers and 1,617 million tonnes of freight were transported in FY 2023–24, making India the world's second-largest railway freight mover.
The minister also announced a new rule for Tatkal ticket booking, effective from July 1, under which only Aadhaar-authenticated and KYC-verified users can book tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window.
Vaishnaw spoke about ongoing reforms, including a pilot project in Bikaner Division where reservation charts are being prepared 24 hours in advance, compared to the current 4-hour window.
On the expansion of rail services, he said three Amrit Bharat trains are already operational and six more will be launched soon. Production of 50 additional trains is underway.
Referring to developments in Haryana, the minister said the annual
railway budget
allocation for the state has risen from ₹300 crore before 2014 to ₹3,416 crore this year. 'Over the last 11 years, 823 km of new rail lines have been built and 100% of the state's railway network has been electrified,' he added.
Infrastructure projects worth ₹11,800 crore are currently underway in Haryana, including the redevelopment of 34 railway stations and construction of 540 road overbridges and underpasses.
The event was attended by Haryana Chief Minister
Nayab Singh Saini
, Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh, MLA Mukesh Sharma, and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. CEO & MD Hisashi Takeuchi.
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