First freight practice chugs into Kashmir Valley, raises hopes of fruit merchants

The first-ever freight practice chugged into Kashmir Valley on Saturday. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned it reached the newly commissioned Anantnag Goods Shed from Punjab.

“It marked a big milestone in connecting the Kashmir area to the nationwide freight community. Transportation by railway community will scale back value for our residents residing in Kashmir Valley,” he mentioned.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the feat as a “nice day for commerce and connectivity in J&Ok”. “It will improve each progress and prosperity,” he posted on X.

Hundreds of locals swarmed the Anantnag railway station to witness the practice. It carried 21 wagons of cement, “considerably lowering transportation value”, officers mentioned.

The practice has introduced smiles on the faces of native fruit merchants. “It shall be a sport changer for the fruit trade. The practice will assist [goods] attain throughout the nation within the shortest time period. Apple trade is now not depending on the Srinagar-Jammu freeway, which might stay closed in winters for weeks and months collectively,” Khalid Sidiq, an apple seller from Pulwama, mentioned.

Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay mentioned the practice coated round 600 km earlier than it reached the Anantnag Goods Shed. “It reached in lower than 18 hours,” Mr. Upadhyay mentioned.

Mr. Upadhyay mentioned the practice would usher in a “new period of logistical and financial progress”. “It will pave the way in which for a extra related and affluent Kashmir Valley,” he mentioned.