New Delhi, June 17: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s largest automobile multi-modal cargo terminal at the Maruti Suzuki India Limited plant in Haryana's Manesar.

The new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal at Maruti Suzuki’s plant significantly enhances the logistics efficiency of automobile transportation. The Manesar facility is connected to Patli railway station through a 10 km dedicated rail link, which forms part of the 121.7 km Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor being developed by the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC).

The construction of this 10 km link involved an investment of Rs 800 crore, with the HRIDC contributing Rs 684 crore and the remaining amount funded by Maruti Suzuki. The loading capacity of this Gati Shakti cargo terminal is one of the highest in India at 4.5 lakh automobiles per annum.

Addressing the gathering, the Minister highlighted the significant transformation Indian Railways has undergone over the past decade. "Before 2014, the Railways' annual budget hovered around Rs 24,000–25,000 crore. Now, it has been increased to Rs 2.5 lakh crore,” the minister said.

"Basic passenger amenities like toilets were absent in many stations and coaches. In the last two and a half years, a focused campaign has been launched to increase the number of general coaches. More than 1,200 general coaches were added in just the past year," he added.

The minister further stated that a major decision was taken recently to upgrade passenger train services. Over 100 MEMU trains will now be augmented — increasing their composition from 8 to 12 coaches to 16 to 20 coaches — greatly benefiting short-distance commuters. A new factory has been set up at Kazipet in Andhra Pradesh for the manufacturing of over 100 MEMU trains.

Referring to the successful rollout of Namo Bharat trains, Vaishnaw said: "Encouraged by the strong public response, we have decided to produce 50 new Namo Bharat trains to cater to growing passenger demand."

On the passenger and freight performance front, he said: "In the financial year 2023–24, Indian Railways transported approximately 720 crore passengers and 1,617 million tonnes of freight. This performance helped Indian Railways achieve the second-highest freight volume globally, marking 2023–24 as a historic year."

About passenger convenience, he mentioned the ongoing pilot project, where passenger reservation charts are now being prepared 24 hours in advance, replacing the earlier norm of 4 hours before train departure. The initiative has received highly positive feedback from citizens and is expected to significantly improve the travel experience.

Discussing the rollout of the Amrit Bharat Trains, the minister stated: "Three Amrit Bharat trains are currently operational and have received an overwhelming public response. In the coming days, six more Amrit Bharat trains will be launched, production of 50 more trains is underway, and more batches will follow."

.Highlighting ongoing infrastructure investment in the state, he added: "Currently, projects worth Rs 11,800 crore are underway in Haryana. Redevelopment of 34 railway stations is in progress under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. In addition, 540 road overbridges and underpasses have been constructed across the state’s railway network."

Vaishnaw also mentioned that the Railway Coach Factory, Sonipat, is undergoing modernisation. “The upgraded facility will soon be ready for inauguration and will play a key role in enhancing our coach production capacity,” he said.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the state’s Minister of Industries Rao Narbir Singh, and Maruti Suzuki CEO & Managing Director Hisashi Takeuchi were present at the event. (IANS)

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