Vaishnaw inaugurates India’s largest automobile Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal in Manesar

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Tuesday, inaugurated the country’s largest automobile Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal at Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Manesar, Haryana.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, the railway minister spoke about passenger convenience. He said a significant reform in Tatkal ticket booking is to be implemented from July 1.

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On June 11, the Ministry of Railways announced that only Aadhaar authenticated users can book Tatkal tickets on IRCTC website and App from July 1.

“Various issues were raised that many people use bots to block Tatkal tickets, but from 1st July, only those whose KYC is done will be able to book Tatkal tickets. At the booking window too, only those who show their ID will get the ticket,” Vaishnaw said.

“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 availability to genuine passengers,” he added.

He further said 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, Andhra Pradesh, for the manufacturing of over 100 MEMU trains, the Railway Minister said.

Referring to the successful rollout of Namo Bharat trains, he said, “Encouraged by the strong public response to the two operational Namo Bharat trains, we have decided to produce 50 new Namo Bharat trains to cater to growing passenger demand.”

On the passenger and freight performance front, Vaishnaw 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.”

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 railway minister said, “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.”

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was also present at the event.

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 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 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.