Jammu: As the Indian Railways prepares to start its dream project of starting direct train services from Delhi to Kashmir, the people and traders of the Jammu division have expressed serious worries about its possible fallout, including a heavy dent in their business. The stakeholders claimed that all the business sectors are believed to be affected, but the transporters foresee a major setback due to the train service to Kashmir.
“Once the train service starts to Kashmir, most of the products, especially fuel and gas, will be transported by train, which will cut the cost, and people of the valley will get items at cheaper rates. There will be less movement of trucks and oil tankers on the highway, and most of the items can be brought from other parts of the country to Kashmir directly by train,” said a transporter.
Currently, the major supplies items, be it rations, fuel, utensils, merchandise, fruit, and other things, are being transported to Kashmir in commercial carriers and trucks through the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway-44, and in summer, a few vehicles move through Mughal Road as well.
Transporters Express Worries
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Ajit Singh, President of the Transport Association Jammu, said, “The train service to Kashmir will be beneficial for people and tourists as they will get easy access to the valley, but on the other hand it will be a jolt to the transport industry, especially the oil tankers, who are transporting fuel and gas to Kashmir.”
“For the last 10 to 15 years, the transport industry has seen a decline, and now with the direct train to Kashmir, it will act as a final nail in the coffin,” he said.
He claimed that there would be a huge loss to the commercial passenger vehicles whose bread and butter is coming from transporting the people, especially tourists, to and fro Kashmir. “All their vehicles will be stranded once the train service starts,” he said.
As the date to start the train service to Kashmir is coming near, the transporters have been holding meetings to chalk out plans but claimed they haven’t been able to find a solution. “We have written to the government to address our issues, but we are not sure what to do. We will be writing to the lieutenant governor, chief minister, and government of India to rehabilitate the transporters,” Singh added.
Warehouse Business Hit In Jammu
Another major supply from Jammu to Kashmir is ration, which goes from the warehouses in Jammu, but for 10 to 15 years, traders of Kashmir have been getting goods directly from Punjab and other parts of the country. Some small traders were getting supplies from the Jammu warehouses as well, but once the goods started arriving in Kashmir through trains, they would also shift to local traders instead of Jammu traders.
President of the Warehouse Traders Association Jammu, President Deepak Gupta, said, “For sure there will be some loss, but we have already taken steps to cover these losses. We are focusing on increasing our trade in other districts of Jammu, including areas of the Rajouri and Poonch districts of Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley, and we are hopeful to compensate the same.”
History Of Train Services In Jammu
Jammu has seen many ups and downs since the train service started, first up to Udhampur and then up to Katra. Before 1947 there was a direct train service between Jammu and Sialkot in undivided India, which had started in 1890, but after the partition of the country in 1947, the train service snapped. It was after the 1965 war between India and Pakistan that the work on train service from Pathankot in Punjab towards Jammu started, and it opened in 1972.
The first train to Jammu started with the name Srinagar Express (now Jhelum Express), and since then other trains also arrived in the winter capital. The latest among them all is the Vande Bharat Express, which is expected to become the first train to go to Kashmir directly from the national capital, Delhi.
In 1981 the Jammu to Udhampur train project was taken up, but the foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on April 14, 1983. After missing several deadlines, on April 13, 2005, the then PM Manmohan Singh flagged off the train service to Udhampur, which is also the headquarters of the northern command.
Dream Rail Project To Connect Kashmir
After that, it was the turn of Kashmir Valley to witness trains running, and from October 11, 2009, onwards, different sections of local train service were started, and on July 4, 2014, direct train service to Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, was also started, and PM Narendra Modi flagged off the same. Now, on January 26, 2025, a direct train to Kashmir is expected to start.
There have always been concerns of people and traders of Jammu when the train was moving beyond the Jammu-Tawi Railway Station. Earlier, when the train reached Jammu from Pathankot in Punjab, Jammu became the trade hub, but over time, Jammu is losing its shine, they said, apprehending more losses once the train service to Kashmir starts.
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