Lifeline For Apple Growers? How Railways Keep Kashmir's Apple Trade On Track-All You Need To Know

(MENAFN- Live Mint) After heavy rains battered Jammu and Kashmir affecting apple growers, the Indian Railways has stepped in to“empower” them by introducing a parcel train from Badgam to Delhi beginning 13 September.

“Empowering Kashmir's apple growers. With the Jammu-Srinagar line operational, the Kashmir valley has better connectivity. Railways is introducing a daily time-tabled parcel train from Badgam in Kashmir Valley to Adarsh Nagar station in Delhi starting 13th September 2025. Loading of 2 parcel vans carrying apples from Badgam to Delhi is beginning today,” Ashwini said on X.

The train will begin from the Budgam station at 6.15 am on September 13 and reach Adarsh Nagar station at 5 am. the next day,“which is a suitable time for apples to arrive at the Delhi market early in the morning”, The Hindu quoted an official as saying.

As per Reuters, losses estimated between ₹600 crore and ₹700 crore (approximately $68 million to $79 million) have been reported after landslides forced the closure of the national highway connecting Jammu and Srinagar , a crucial route for transporting apples from the region, which has been reopened on September 10 after it got shut on August 26.

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Zaffar Hussain Mir of the Railway Union Kashmir said that the work had been in progress for some time, and they had not expected it to start so soon, WION reported. He mentioned that the efforts of railway officers in the region and in Northern Railways had played a major role. Mir stated that the train was the only option that operated without closure. According to him, a train carrying fruits could now reach Kanyakumari from Kashmir in just 4-5 days.

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“The central government wanted to give a gift to Kashmiris, and we want to help the local community, and We have been wanting to help the people. The only thing left was the goods train and it's a very easy process and can be done online and send your stuff from Kashmir to various states across India. Two coaches will leave on Thursday with a capacity of 18 tons each. Most of the apples that we are sending on Thursday have come from Baramulla and Budgam,” he added.

CM Omar Abdullah stated,“It took about a week of close coordination between the railway ministry officials & officers in my secretariat with inputs from the J&K Agriculture Production Department to get to the point where our harvested fruit is now being transported by train.”

He further said,“With the National Highway continuing to give us trouble this has become a source of great relief for growers whose produce risked rotting because it wasn't reaching the market. My thanks to @AshwiniVaishnaw Sb for responding to my calls & endless messages to get to this off the ground.”

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