{"id":51290,"date":"2025-06-22T14:33:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T09:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=51290"},"modified":"2025-06-23T17:46:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T12:16:55","slug":"indian-railways-transports-20-of-cars-in-india-a-green-logistics-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indian-railways-transports-20-of-cars-in-india-a-green-logistics-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Railways Transports 20% of Cars in India: A Green Logistics Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Car Transportation by Rail Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a major step towards reducing carbon emissions, Indian Railways increased its share of passenger vehicle (PV) dispatches to over 20% of total car production in 2024\u201325, a sharp rise from just 1.7% in 2014\u201315.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024\u201325, Indian Railways transported 10.41 lakh cars, with total car loading expected to reach 15 lakh annually soon. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This shift supports India&#8217;s net zero emissions target by 2070 and presents a new revenue stream for the Railways<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated India\u2019s largest automobile Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (MMCT) at the Maruti Suzuki plant in Manesar, Haryana, capable of dispatching up to 4.5 lakh vehicles annually.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How the \u2018Rail Coefficient\u2019 for Car Transport Increased<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Liberalisation of AFTO Policy<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Automobile Freight Train Operator (AFTO) scheme has been made more flexible to encourage car manufacturers to use Indian Railways for transporting passenger vehicles:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration fee of \u20b95 crore removed<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minimum rake requirement reduced from 3 to 1<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Auto ancillaries and spares now allowed in both directions<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Net worth criteria for applicants eliminated<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spare wagon maintenance requirement eased from 4% per rake to 4% of total holdings<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Industry Engagement and Feedback<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular consultations are held with key stakeholders like SIAM (Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers) to continuously improve the policy based on industry needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Infrastructure Expansion<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To support increased volumes, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Railways has added multiple automobile loading terminals across the country<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. New terminals include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eastern Region: Chitpur<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Southern Region: Penukonda<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Northern Region: Nasrala<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">North Eastern Region: Nautanwa, Bakshi ka Talab<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">East Central Region: Mesra<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">East Coast Region: Hirakud<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Western Region: Champaner, Chharodi<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">North East Frontier Region: Baihata, Salchapra, Furkating, New Tinsukia, Jirania, Agthori<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Central Region: Loni, Khadki, AJNI, Vilad<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These reforms and infrastructure additions have significantly contributed to the rise in the \u2018rail coefficient\u2019\u2014the share of cars transported by rail.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Wagons Used by Indian Railways to Transport Cars<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Evolution of Automobile Transport by Rail<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, Parcel Vans (VPs) were used, attached to passenger or mail\/express trains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later, Bogie Open Military (BOM) wagons were introduced but were limited to military equipment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Introduction of NMG Coaches<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1995\u201396, New Modified Goods (NMG) coaches revolutionized car transport.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A single rake of 25 NMG coaches can carry:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100\u2013125 cars<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">125\u2013175 tractors<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1,500\u20131,675 two-wheelers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Railways is continuously expanding its fleet of NMG rakes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Modern Wagons for Larger Vehicles<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To meet the growing demand for transporting larger passenger vehicles like SUVs, the Railways introduced three new types of double-decker auto wagons.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These modern rakes have significantly enhanced the capacity and efficiency of automobile transportation via rail.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India\u2019s Top Car Transporters by Rail<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Maruti Suzuki Leads the Pack<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maruti Suzuki accounts for nearly 50% of all car transport via Indian Railways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maruti uses 17 railway hubs, which serve 380 cities across India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Other Major Players<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hyundai ranks second in car transport by rail.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tata Motors holds third position.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahindra Group is in fourth place.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Domestic Sales Dominate<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Approximately 80% of cars transported by rail are meant for domestic markets.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expansive Rail Infrastructure<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India currently has 133 railway sidings where cars are loaded and unloaded, supporting the growing shift to rail logistics in the automobile sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Growth in Car Dispatches by Indian Railways<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Steady Rise in Car Dispatches<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Railways has witnessed a sharp increase in car dispatches over the past decade:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2024\u201325 (FY25): 10.41 lakh cars<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2023\u201324 (FY24): 9.69 lakh cars<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2022\u201323 (FY23): 7.70 lakh cars<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2021\u201322 (FY22): 4.91 lakh cars<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020\u201321 (FY21): 3.98 lakh cars<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2019\u201320 (FY20): 3.09 lakh cars<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b><\/b><b>20-Fold Growth Since 2014\u201315<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From just 54,219 cars in 2014\u201315, car loading has grown nearly 20 times\u2014a testament to Indian Railways\u2019 enhanced role in green and efficient logistics.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Contributing Factors<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This growth is attributed to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Policy reforms like liberalising the AFTO scheme<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduction of modern auto-wagons<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expansion of dedicated automobile terminals and sidings across the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><\/b><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/business\/indian-railways-share-car-dispatches-pv-manufactured-india-10075826\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian Railways now moves over 20% of India&#8217;s car output, up from 1.7% in 2014\u201315. Explore policies, growth, and key players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":51458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[971,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-51290","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-car-transportation-by-rail","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}