With railway service, Kashmir gets faster delivery of new car models
Srinagar, Oct 3: After the sucessful transportation of apples in train parcels, transportation of new car models in freight service to the Valley has officially taken off. Maruti Suzuki India Limited on Friday announced the arrival of first lot of vehicles in Kashmir valley by rail, becoming the first automobile manufacturer in the country to use Indian Railways to dispatch vehicles to the region.
As per a MSIL spokersperson, the maiden train carrying over 100 Maruti Suzuki vehicles like Brezza, Dzire, WagonR and S-Presso among others departed from the recently inaugurated Manesar in-plant railway siding of the company.
The train travelled over 850 kilometers to reach the newly opened Anantnag railway terminal in Jammu & Kashmir. En route to Anantnag, the train crossed the world's highest railway arch bridge over Chenab river. The bridge was inaugurated earlier this year as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to strengthen regional connectivity and boost efficiency in logistics, it said.
Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Railway dispatches are central to our logistics strategy. We are grateful to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, under whose leadership, transformative infrastructure projects have come up across the country. The world’s highest railway arch bridge over Chenab river is one such landmark, enabling seamless and efficient connectivity to Kashmir valley and allowing Maruti Suzuki to better serve customers in the region.”
He added, “Aligned with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, Maruti Suzuki operates two in-plant railway sidings, inside its Manesar and Gujarat manufacturing plants. These enable vehicle
movement directly from the Company’s production facilities to different parts of the country.”
Emphasising the importance of rail transport on the economy and lives, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology said, “In recent times, apples from the valley have been transported using the Jammu & Kashmir rail link. Now, Maruti Suzuki cars will be transported to Kashmir valley by rail. Jammu – Srinagar railway line is a game changer for the people of Jammu & Kashmir.”
Notably, just ahead of its apple season, in August Kashmir got its parcel train service as in a major push to J&K’s economy and facilitate mainly valley’s horticulturists, Railway Board approved a Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo (JPP-RCS) train from Budgam to Delhi.
Divisional Railway Manager (Jammu Railway Division) Vivek Kumar had said that the goal of the Joint Parcel Product- Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) was to promote freight transportation through railways.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir BJP has extended appreciation for “the landmark launch of the first-ever automobile freight train service to the Kashmir Valley.” Sr. Advocate and BJP Cheif Spokesperson Sunil Sethi hailed the arrival of 100 Maruti Suzuki vehicles by rail to Anantnag as a significant achievement and a powerful testament to the Central Government's commitment to boosting J&K's connectivity and economic infrastructure.
“This is a historic day for Jammu and Kashmir and a clear reflection of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji's vision of a fully integrated and prosperous 'Naya Jammu Kashmir,” said Sunil Sethi.
