The first cherry cargo train is set to roll from Jammu and Kashmir to Mumbai next month. In a first-of-its-kind initiative to transport perishable produce outside Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu railway division has gotten its first VP indent (a request for the allocation of a full parcel van for the shipment of goods) from Katra railway station to Bandra in Mumbai for June 3.
The move, undertaken after extensive consultations with the Horticulture Department and fruit grower associations, will enable perishable goods like cherries to reach their intended markets with minimal damage or deterioration in quality.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM), Northern Railway, Jammu, Uchit Singhal said 24 tons of cargo will be moved in a VP attached to a goods train from Katra station to Bandra station in Mumbai, and the cargo will reach its destination in 30 hours.
Mr. Singhal said it will be a win-win situation for both railways and fruit growers, and in turn, the economy of the J&K region.
The effort, undertaken after extensive consultations with the Horticulture Department and fruit grower associations, is a welcome initiative if goes off successfully as it will offload the road traffic burden and will enable perishable goods like cherries reach its intended markets with minimal damage or deterioration in quality, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM), Northern Railway, Jammu, Uchit Singhal said.