New Delhi : Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw today inaugurated the country’s largest automobile Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal at Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Manesar, Haryana.
The Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant is a key infrastructure development that 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 ₹800 crore, with HRIDC contributing ₹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 i.e 4.5 lakh automobiles per annum.
The Minister highlighted the significant transformation Indian Railways has undergone over the past decade. “Before 2014, the Railways' annual budget hovered around ₹24,000–25,000 crore, Now, it has been increased to ₹2.5 Lakh Crore. 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 said. Talking about passenger convenience, the Minister announced a significant reform in Tatkal ticket booking, to be implemented from 1st July 2025. “As per the new rule, only Aadhaar-authenticated and KYC-verified users will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window. This measure will help ensure tickets are available to genuine passengers,” he said.
He also spoke about an ongoing pilot project in the Bikaner Division, 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 public representatives 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 overwhelming public response. In the coming days, six more Amrit Bharat trains will be launched. and, production of 50 more trains is underway, and more batches will follow.”