In a first, Maruti Suzuki brings cars to Kashmir via train; dealerships say ‘customers will benefit immensely’

“The maiden train carrying over 100 Maruti Suzuki vehicles departed from the recently inaugurated Manesar in-plant railway siding of the company. The train travelled over 850 kilometres to reach the newly opened Anantnag railway terminal in Jammu & Kashmir,” the company said in a statement.

Since the rail link was inaugurated, apart from passenger services, it has also been used to ferry apples out of the Valley. Cement and components to help build and maintain cold storage facilities across the Valley have also been brought in through trains.

Railways 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 the Kashmir Valley by rail. The Jammu–Srinagar railway line is a game changer for the people of Jammu & Kashmir.”

Managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Hisashi Takeuchi, said, “Railway dispatches are central to our logistics strategy. We are grateful to the Prime Minister, under whose leadership, transformative infrastructure projects have come up across the country. The world’s highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab river is one such landmark, enabling seamless and efficient connectivity to the Kashmir Valley and allowing Maruti Suzuki to better serve customers in the region.”

He said that aligned with the 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,” he said.

The move has been made possible by the Indian Railways through 25 New Modified Goods (NMG) wagons, which carried a total of 116 passenger vehicles to Kashmir. Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Northern Railway, told The Indian Express, “This is part of Indian Railways’ major push to increase goods movement in Kashmir via Railways. Our aim is to reduce the transportation cost and contribute to the holistic development of the economy of Kashmir. It was a rake of 25 New Modified Goods (NMG) wagons, which carried a total of 116 passenger vehicles to Kashmir.”

The cars were loaded from Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar siding. The train left for Kashmir on October 1 and reached Anantnag at 9.50 am on October 3. It took a total of 45 hours to cover 850 km.

Ensures faster deliveries: Dealerships

Car dealerships in Kashmir have said bringing the vehicles by rail ensures deliveries that are quicker and in better condition.

Awaan Anrwaroo, CEO of a Maruti dealership in Srinagar, said, “Earlier, these vehicles had to be driven over from Jammu, and sometimes that would also affect the condition of the car itself. However, these vehicles that have reached here today in this train are just as they’ve been manufactured.”

Waseem Kathroo, who also owns a dealership in Srinagar, told reporters at the Anantnag Railway Station, “This initiative has been a requirement for a long time. The long transit time from Jammu to Srinagar affected our sales earlier. Customers will benefit immensely from this.” He also urged the Railways to consider increasing the frequency of these trains.

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