Srinagar, Oct 3 (IANS) In a development set to transform the automobile freight from the rest of the country to Kashmir, the first-ever rake carrying automobiles was successfully unloaded on Friday 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. It is a significant leap forward in the region’s freight connectivity.

“This marks the Valley’s entry into a new era of streamlined and cost-effective automobile logistics,” railway officials told reporters.

Until now, vehicles had to be transported by road from railway terminals in Jammu or Punjab, often resulting in longer transit times and higher logistics costs.

The arrival of the automobile rake directly to Anantnag is expected to significantly reduce the transportation costs, benefiting manufacturers, dealers, and ultimately, consumers.

Local stakeholders, including automobile dealers and transport companies, welcomed the development. The other major advantage to the automobile dealers and buyers in the Valley is going to be its round the year availability, irrespective of the weather.

At present, automobiles are transported into the Valley through the Jammu-Srinagar national highway that remained closed for days together because of landslides, mudslides and shooting stones.

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

By the next month, the Vande Bharat train service is expected to operate from Jammu railway station to Kashmir, thereby realising the over 150-year-old dream of rail connectivity to the Valley.

The arrival of the train has come as a great relief to traders, students, professionals and common citizens as the rail travel is cheap, affordable and an all-weather travel facility for the landlocked Valley.

–IANS

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