Season’s first rail parcel van departs Jammu for Mumbai carrying 12 ton cherries

The season’s first rail van carrying 12 tonnes of Kashmir’s juicy deep-red cherries departed for Mumbai from here early this morning. This is a major leap by the Railways towards delivering J&K’s horticulture produce to every corner of the country in record time.

About 966 cherry boxes were loaded in the parcel van which was attached to the Vivek Express (Train No:19028) that departed at 5.45 am and will cover the 1881 km distance to reach the Bandra Terminus (Mumbai) in a record time of 33 hours.

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Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal, said that keeping in mind the delicate freshness of the fruit, the Railways has made special arrangements. Such fast delivery will preserve the quality of the cherries, and the people of Mumbai will get the taste of fresh cherries picked straight from the orchards.

“Indian Railways is committed to ensuring that the hard work of J&K’s orchardists gets the right price and a nationwide market. Cherry is an extremely delicate fruit, and delivering it to the market within hours is a challenge. Our team has prepared special logistics for this. We have sufficient parcel vans and resources available this season to meet every demand of the traders”, he said.
There is tremendous enthusiasm among farmers and traders regarding this service. So far, a total of 28 VP indents have been received from Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra stations for cherry transportation.

Singhal further added, “Apart from these 28 special VPs, the SLR coach facility available in regular trains on the route will also continue. Earlier, 18 tonnes of cherries have already been sent to Mumbai. Small and medium traders will also be able to send their low-volume consignments safely and affordably”.

“This fast, safe, and time-bound parcel service of Indian Railways will not only reduce transit time but also ensure the best price for the produce of J&K’s orchardists”, he added.