Now the worry of Kashmir’s apples and other fruits getting spoiled due to road closure is going to end. Indian Railways has launched the first cargo parcel train service from Srinagar to Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off this special train from Srinagar’s Nowgam railway station.
This train will reach Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar railway station in just 24 hours. Many dignitaries including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah participated in this historic occasion. This cargo train service will give new impetus to the process of economic integration and development of Jammu and Kashmir. This freight train service will make transportation faster, safer and more economical.
This new service of Indian Railways will enable Kashmir’s apples and other fruits to reach Delhi and other parts of the country in better condition, which will also boost Kashmir’s horticulture sector. This step will prove to be very important for the local fruit producers and the economy of the region.
During the inauguration ceremony, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude to the Indian Railways for this initiative and said, “The introduction of a daily time-table train carrying horticultural produce to the national capital is a big relief for the fruit growers.” He also stressed that this new service will mitigate the challenges posed by the blocking of highways due to bad weather, which often leads to huge losses of perishable goods.
Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar described this cargo parcel train service as a “golden moment”. He said that this train will mainly carry apples and a limited quantity of walnuts. There are also plans to increase its capacity for other products in future. This train has eight parcel vans, one of which has a capacity of 23 tonnes and the rest have a capacity between 160 to 170 tonnes. The train will depart from Srinagar at 6:00 am every day and reach Adarsh Nagar station in Delhi the next day.
On the first day itself, fruits worth about Rs 2.5 crore have been sent to Delhi through this train. The quantity of goods will be further increased in future. Railway authorities have also planned to run a 15-coach VP train from Anantnag with the main purpose of transporting apples. This initiative is a matter of pride not only for Kashmir but for the entire Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory and the Indian Railways.
