Ahead of 2025 apple season, Kashmir gets parcel train service

Jammu, Aug 20: Just ahead of its apple season, Kashmir valley has got its parcel train service as in a major push to J&K’s economy and facilitate mainly valley’s horticulturists, Railway Board Wednesday approved a Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo (JPP-RCS) train from Budgam to Delhi.

Divisional Railway Manager (Jammu Railway Division) Vivek Kumar said that the goal of the Joint Parcel Product- Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) was to promote freight transportation through railways.

“It is a virtual aggregation platform, which will help in connecting the participation of railways in the private sector. This cargo train is being operated for the first time in Jammu (Railway) Division in which the registration fee for booking has been reduced. This train service will be started soon. The main objective of this initiative is to benefit the fruit producers of Kashmir besides other small and big businessmen of Kashmir,” Kumar said.

The train will run on a daily basis from Budgam Railway Station of Kashmir valley in Jammu (Railway) Division to Adarsh Nagar Delhi-Budgam route. It will have a Seating cum Luggage Rake (SLR) with 8 parcel vans.

To facilitate the business class, the facility of loading and unloading of goods will be provided at Bari Brahmana station in Samba.

Senior Commercial Divisional Manager, Uchit Singhal said, “The main objective of operating this train was to benefit the traders of Kashmir and to deliver the goods from there to every corner of the country, which mainly include items like apples, saffron, walnuts, pashmina shawls, carpets and Kashmiri handicrafts.”

“This will prove to be an economical option compared to road traffic. The economy of the state will benefit and new sources of employment will also be generated. This train will reach its destination station Adarsh Nagar Delhi safely in about 23 hours, far less time than movement through the road from Budgam,” he said.

This cargo train will be run on a pilot basis in the initial year in which security arrangements will be made by the state police and security will be ensured on both sides of the vehicle.

Earlier Singhal, in an exclusive interaction with the Great Kashmir, informed that Jammu Railway Division of the Northern Railway had worked out finer nuances vis-à-vis plan to roll out new parcel (train) service, besides freight train, to capture outward perishable goods traffic, originating from the Kashmir valley, to address concerns of its horticulture producers and fruit growers.

The most heartening news for stakeholders in the Valley is that close on the heels of the arrival of the maiden freight train at Anantnag goods shed, this new parcel service train will also become operational by the advent of apple season this year.

According to Singhal, wider discussions with all regional (horticulture) offices, fruit growers were made in this connection.

Sharing the positive impact of freight train service rolled out in Kashmir with the arrival of first-ever goods train, carrying cement at Anantnag Railway Station Goods Siding (shed) on August 9, 2025, mainstreaming the Valley vis-à-vis national freight network; contours of service and the way ahead, Singhal said, “We are expecting each and every kind of (goods) traffic coming to Srinagar (Valley) but in the initial phases, it will continue to be cement, food grains and fertilizers.”

“These were the kind of commodities which were transported in bulk up to Udhampur, Bari Brahmana and other goods sheds in Jammu. So far, the handling of goods traffic used to be dealt with, at these stations for onward transportation to the Kashmir valley and beyond in Ladakh region through roads,” he explained.

Singhal pointed out that in the initial phase, the Jammu Railway Division was trying to replicate and take forward the same trend being witnessed at Bari Brahmana, Udhampur and other goods sheds in Jammu and transport main commodities, being loaded in bulk there (cement, food grains and fertilizers), through freight train to Kashmir, instead of road.

He asserted that the Railways was expecting to get definite outward traffic of perishable goods from there (Valley), particularly the apples - as season was just round the corner.

Did the freight train elicit good response from Kashmir traders, business bodies, horticulture growers etc., responding to this query, he informed that thorough deliberations preceded the move (freight train). “Yes, we had already deliberated on this issue with those (businessmen, growers) who were associated with us and were in touch with us. They were intimated prior to issuance of notification and that was imperative as well. It is not possible that we notify goods shed today and the next day, the freight train will be there. There are a lot of issues related to logistics; road transportation through trucks from the destinations to the onward journey; planning for labour for loading and unloading to be sorted out by the concerned parties in advance,” Singhal explained.

“Hence, all the stakeholders, business partners of the Railways were intimated. We received a very positive response from all quarters for obvious reasons since it is a win-won situation for all. After all, rail freight traffic is always more cost effective, by all means compared to road transportation. Besides, it is time effective as well. The time taken by freight train from Udhampur to Anantnag is quite less as compared to the time consumed in road transportation,” Singhal continued.

He hoped that Anantnag goods shed functioning would pick up along with the gradual working out of logistics vis-a-vis concerned parties. To a query related to consignments in the days to come, he informed, “We recently had a meeting with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials. They informed that the transportation of food grains was in the offing. As far as fertilisers are concerned, it will be a seasonal traffic commencing before the sowing operations. They (fertilisers) will now be directly transported to Anantnag.”

Regarding frequency of freight train operations, he stated that presently every company was busy working out its logistics. “Once those issues are settled, we expect at least one rake per day reaching Anantnag,” Senior DCM Jammu Railway Division shared.

It has already been notified that Anantnag Railway Station will handle both outward as well as inward goods traffic comprising all commodities except petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) through railway rakes from 6 am to 10 pm.

Notably, Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo (JPP-RCS) train facilities are being provided under various divisions and railway sections of Indian Railways in which the business class across the country is taking advantage of it.

This initiative aims to increase the share of railways in the courier business and provide an efficient, reliable and economical option to the customers. This service, as per authorities, is a precise effort to attract the business class in Indian Railways.