Railways, Horticulture Dept discuss apple transportation from Kashmir
Railway freight is more economical than road transport and can help reduce transportation costs
With the 2026 apple season approaching, railway officials and the Horticulture Department on Friday discussed measures to ensure safe, timely and economical transportation of apples from Kashmir to markets across the country.
A meeting was held in Srinagar with the Director, Horticulture, Planning and Marketing, senior railway officials and other stakeholders, including fruit growers, farmers, traders, Kisan aggregators and business aggregators. Around 30-35 prominent representatives participated in the meeting, both physically and virtually.
An official spokesman said the meeting focused on transportation of fruit from the Anantnag and Pampore goods sheds and the movement of apples by parcel train from Budgam to Adarsh Nagar, Delhi.
He said the Railways had played a crucial role during the 2025 apple season when the National Highway was disrupted due to natural causes. The Jammu Division transported around 20,000 tonnes of apples from Kashmir to various mandis across the country through goods and parcel trains, helping growers and traders avoid substantial losses.
The meeting also discussed arrangements for transporting apples by rail during the upcoming season. It was decided that the Directorate of Horticulture would provide the Railways with detailed information on the anticipated quantity of apples and transportation requirements within a week to enable timely arrangements for parcel van rakes and wagons.
Railway officials advised aggregators and traders to make advance use of the railway parcel service according to their requirements and submit indents in time. Traders can submit their indents online, allowing their consignments to be incorporated into scheduled routes and helping the Railways arrange parcel rakes or wagons on priority, officials said.
The officials highlighted the advantages of rail transportation for farmers and aggregators, saying railway freight is generally more economical than road transport and can help reduce transportation costs and improve growers’ returns.
Rail connectivity would also provide an alternative during adverse weather, landslides and highway closures, helping ensure timely movement of apples to markets and reducing the risk of spoilage.
Officials said large quantities of apples could be transported together through parcel vans and wagons, reducing the need for repeated movement of smaller consignments.
They also highlighted direct rail connectivity from Budgam to Adarsh Nagar, Delhi, as well as access to major fruit markets in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and other parts of the country.
