SRINAGAR: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said the first cargo train service transporting cherries from Jammu and Kashmir to Mumbai is a significant step towards boosting the region’s economy and connecting Kashmir with national markets.
He said the development was made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who personally monitored the completion of the railway link connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country.
The first consignment, 24 tons of cherries, is scheduled to depart from Katra to Bandra on June 3. The train is expected to reach Mumbai within 30 hours.
The Jammu railway division received its first VP indent for a full parcel van from Katra to Mumbai.
As per media reports, Singh said the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), sanctioned in 1994-95, had seen little progress due to tough terrain and rising costs. Work resumed after Modi took office in 2014, resulting in the successful laying of tracks and the construction of the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab.
He added that a train carrying soldiers from Delhi to Kashmir had already run on the route ahead of the cherry consignment.
The minister said a railway division has been set up in Jammu, and work is ongoing to upgrade Udhampur, Jammu, and Katra stations. Two Vande Bharat trains are also expected to run from Katra to Kashmir, before shifting to Jammu once the station is ready.
