From Gujarat salt to valley apples: Rail connectivity unlocks Kashmir's trade potential

New Delhi, Oct 19 Regional connectivity has reached a new high with the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. Passenger and freight train operations have also commenced, establishing a direct rail link between the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and other parts of India. 

Significantly, “the first 21-wagon (BCN) rail consignment of 1,350 tonnes of industrial salt from Kharaghoda Goods Shed in Gujarat successfully arrived at Anantnag Goods Shed on Friday,” according to a report by the Indian Express.

“This marks a new milestone in connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through reliable and cost-effective rail transport. This industrial salt is used in tanning, pulp soap, and sometimes brick kiln industries,” Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Division, said in a statement.

“The arrival of this salt consignment is expected to pave the way for more such freight traffic in the future, further enhancing trade links between Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir,” he noted.

Notably, in the last month, a freight train delivered winter supplies to the Indian Army in Kashmir's Anantnag even as the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained closed for nearly three weeks.

On its return journey, the train transported apples from the Valley to Delhi amid farmer distress in Kashmir because of rotting apples in hundreds of stranded trucks along the blocked highway.

Similarly, the first-ever rake carrying automobiles was successfully unloaded last month at the newly operationalised goods shed in Anantnag district.

The rake carrying train was dispatched in Manesar, Haryana, and it arrived this morning in Anantnag district of Kashmir, covering over 850 kilometres in 45 hours.

The rake carried 116 newly manufactured vehicles, marking the beginning of direct rail-based automobile transport into the Kashmir Valley, marking a significant leap forward in the region’s freight connectivity.

Also, the arrival of the Vande Bharat train from Katra to Kashmir has already transformed the surface transport sector in the Valley.

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