Ahmedabad: The Western Railway‘s Ahmedabad Division transported over 3 lakh cars between April 2025 and Jan this year, marking a sharp rise in its contribution to vehicle logistics and reinforcing rail’s growing role in automobile movement across the division.Railway officials said Indian Railways expanded its share in car transportation from about 1% to over 24% over the last decade, with Ahmedabad Division positioned as a key driver of this shift through dedicated infrastructure and improved freight handling.A major boost came from the plant railway siding project at Hansalpur in Gujarat, connected to the Ahmedabad Division network. Officials said the facility enabled large-scale vehicle dispatch by rail, improving freight capacity, operational efficiency, and asset utilisation while supporting faster, more reliable distribution for manufacturers.The Hansalpur project also received international recognition and was declared the world’s first “modal shift transportation project”, a milestone officials described as a major achievement for the division.The officials said the Hansalpur project increased freight movement in the division and was estimated to reduce around 1.7 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions. Officials added that rail-based vehicle movement was typically 15-20% cheaper than road transport. The officials said the project will strengthen the development of more private freight terminals and railway sidings in Ahmedabad Division.
