Indian Railways has announced the launch of a cargo train service between Budgam and New Delhi's Adarsh Nagar, starting Friday, aimed at supporting fruit growers and traders in Jammu and Kashmir.
The service is positioned as an alternative to road transport, with local estimates indicating costs could be around 30 per cent to 40 per cent lower than trucking. The timing aligns with the upcoming harvest of cherries, peaches, and plums in May.
The initiative follows a request from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after landslides during last year's monsoon disrupted traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, leaving trucks stranded for over two weeks.
During that period, temporary freight services from Sopore, Budgam, and Anantnag were used to maintain supply flows.
According to Raghvender Singh, public relations officer for the railways in Srinagar, the service will operate on a trial basis until May 31. A decision on continuation will be based on utilisation during this period.
Train No. 00462 departs Budgam at 6:15 am and arrives at Adarsh Nagar in New Delhi at 5 am the following day. The return service, Train No. 00461, departs Adarsh Nagar at 5 am and arrives in Budgam at 10:45 am the next day.
The train consists of eight parcel vans and a seating-cum-luggage compartment, with stops at Bari Brahmana and Ambala Cantt to support regional trade.
In addition to fruit, the service is expected to support shipments of saffron and walnuts.
Local trade representatives, including Fayaz Ahmad of Fruit Mandi Sopore and Tariq Ahmad Mughloo of the Kashmir Economic Alliance, stated that the service could support the regional supply chain and called for further expansion to additional stations.
Source: Hindustan Times
