Railway Transportation of Cars Surges, Leaving Road Transport Behind, ET Auto

In the last financial year, railway officials said, around 12.5 lakh out of the country’s total production of 50.6 lakh cars were transported by trains. New Delhi: Is road transport fast losing share to railways in transportation of newly manufactured cars? The answer is, yes. In the past 11 years, railways have registered an 18-fold increase in transportation of cars — from barely 1.5per cent of cars manufactured in 2013-14 to over 24per cent in 2024-25.

In the last financial year, railway officials said, around 12.5 lakh out of the country’s total production of 50.6 lakh cars were transported by trains. “Just in the last four years, the share of cars transported by trains has gone up from 14.7per cent to nearly 24.5per cent. We are hopeful of the trend continuing as automobile manufacturers find rail a more convenient, cost-effective and greener mode,” said a senior railway official.

Industry sources said the number of cars transported by truck trailers beyond a distance of 600 km has reduced by almost half because of railways’ drive to grab more share of this freight. “This has hit the road transportation industry, which creates more employment, badly. Railways are increasing the availability of rakes and are also offering incentives to attract more business,” said a senior executive of a logistics firm which is into vehicle transportation.

• Published On Jun 16, 2025 at 08:28 AM IST

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