Kashmir apples and cherries reach Mumbai by rail over Chenab bridge, cutting freight costs
Perishable fruit from Kashmir is now moving to Mumbai faster and more cheaply by train after the Chenab bridge linked the Valley to the national rail network.
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Road blockades and unpredictable weather have long kept Kashmir's orchardists in trouble. The Chenab bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, has now connected Kashmir directly to the country's markets. As a result, perishable produce such as apples and cherries is reaching Mumbai faster and at lower cost. Both farmers and customers are benefiting.
Earlier, moving goods by truck from Srinagar to Mumbai took more than 45 hours. Landslides, road closures due to rain and traffic jams on the Jammu-Srinagar highway were common. A large share of the produce rotted on the way, and traders used this as a pretext to buy from farmers at lower prices. Things have changed since the Chenab and Anji cable-stayed bridges were commissioned.
The entire Budgam-Katra-Delhi-Mumbai rail corridor is now operational, and goods trains are running at 100 km per hour. As a result, Kashmir's well-known walnuts, saffron, carpets and shawls are also available directly in Maharashtra's markets.
The new route has brought two major benefits. First, the cost of road transport was Rs 80-90 per sack, which has fallen to Rs 10-15 per sack by rail, a saving of about 60 per cent. Second, the share of produce that spoils has halved. According to Mohammad Ali Sheikh, an orchardist from Kashmir, timely and safe transport means growers now get good prices in the market.
According to railway officials, the first parcel van of cherries, carrying 24 tonnes, left Katra on 3 June this year and reached Bandra Terminus in just 30 hours. Subsequently, a special parcel service was started from Budgam to Delhi's Adarsh Nagar from 13 September 2025. Since 15 September 2025, more than 20,000 tonnes of apples have been sent across the country by rail, with a large share arriving in Mumbai's markets.
Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, said the Chenab rail bridge has created an opportunity to take Kashmiri fruit to the Maharashtra market. Regular goods trains, parcel capacity and arrangements for carrying consignments from the station to the wholesale market have boosted business, and farmers and traders are both satisfied.
