First cherry cargo train set to roll from J&K to Mumbai next month

In a first-of-its-kind initiative to transport perishable produce outside Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu railway division has gotting its first VP indent (a request for the allocation of a full parcel van for the shipment of goods) registered from Katra railway station to Bandra (Mumbai) for June 3, a senior railway official said.

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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.

He said 24 tons of cargo will be moved in a VP attached to a goods train from Katra station to Bandra station in Mumbai. The cargo will reach its destination in 30 hours. “It will be a win-win situation for both railways and fruit growers,” Singhal said.