First-ever freight train arrives in Valley, marks new era of logistical, economic growth
The freight train, carrying cement, reached Anantnag Goods Shed in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday around 12 noon, marking a major milestone in connecting the Kashmir region to the national freight network. The goods train comes two months after the successful launch of passenger operations on the complete stretch of 272-km Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramula Rail Link (USBRL), or Kashmir line, in June this year.
The freight connectivity is expected to give a new lease of life to Kashmiri fruit and handicraft industry by easing access to markets across the country.
'The arrival of freight train in Kashmir Valley heralds a new era of logistical and economic growth,' the Railway Ministry said in a statement, calling it a historical development. '(It) is not just a logistical achievement but a powerful symbol of progress and integration, paving the way for a more connected and prosperous Kashmir Valley,' said the ministry.
Officials said the freight train was loaded with 1,380 metric tonnes (MT) of cement in bogie covered wagons, which are used for carrying bagged commodities. The order for the cement was placed by private entities involved in different construction projects, including roads, bridges, public infrastructure and residential housing in the Kashmir Valley.
'The inaugural freight train was loaded with 21 BCN wagons of cement. The journey, spanning approximately 600 km, culminated at the newly commissioned Anantnag Goods Shed today in less than 18 hours. This event marks the first-ever cement loading specifically for this facility, underscoring its readiness to support a new era of logistical and economic growth in the Kashmir region,' said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Northern Railway.
'For this cement transportation, a request was placed with Northern Railway around 11pm on Thursday. After that the rake was arranged and loading was completed by 6 pm on Friday. The train departed from GACL facility in Rupnagar, Punjab, around 7 pm. The freight was hauled by an Electric WAG-9 locomotive and reached Kashmir by around 12 pm on Saturday,' said Upadhyay.
The arrival of the freight train in Anantnag is good news for J&K traders. While it would reduce the transportation cost of goods coming to the Valley, it can prove to be a game-changer for Kashmir's fruit industry, especially for fruits with short shelf life such as cherry, strawberry and some varieties of apples.
'This will benefit the fruit growers as it will reduce both cost and time taken in transportation,' said Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of Sopore Fruit Mandi, the 2nd largest fruit market of the country. 'As of now, transportation of a box of fruit to Delhi costs Rs 100 or more. With this train, we expect it to come down to Rs 30 per box. Similarly, we expect the transportation time to come down from 6 days to 30 hours.'
Malik, however, said the benefit of the goods train will reach the fruit growers only when direct trains run to different fruit markets in the country like West Bengal, Ahmedabad and the Northeast.
The freight train has come to Kashmir two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 63-km Katra-Sangaldan section of USBRL on June 6 and flagged off specially designed Vande Bharat train between Srinagar and Katra, marking the completion of a project to link Kashmir to the rest of the country.
The 272-km USBRL is divided into three parts — 25-km Udhampur-Katra, 111-km Katra-Banihal and 136-km Banihal-Baramulla line. The two sections Udhampur-Katra in Jammu and Banihal-Baramulla in Kashmir were constructed by the Northern Railway, the biggest zone of Indian Railways, and was made operational in three phases — 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla in 2009, 18-km Banihal-Qazigund in 2013 and 25-km Udhampur-Katra in 2014.
Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
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