Jammu Division’s new rail freight rates make long-distance foodgrain transport cheaper

With the objective of providing relief to the general public from inflation and ensuring affordable supply of essential commodities, Northern Railway, Jammu Division has rationalized the freight rates for rail transportation of essential food items such as wheat, rice and flour.

Under this rationalization, freight rates have now been fixed on the basis of distance in a descending scale. Accordingly, for distances up to 1000 km the rate will be ₹1.55 per tonne per kilometer. For distances between 1001 to 3000 km, the rate has been reduced from ₹1.55 to ₹1.15 per tonne per kilometer. For distances beyond 3001 km, the rate will be ₹1.15 per tonne per kilometer. This will make transportation of foodgrains over long distances even more economical.

Transporting foodgrains by rail, compared to road, will provide several direct benefits to farmers, traders and common consumers. Due to lower rail freight, transportation costs will reduce significantly, which will help in stabilizing the prices of wheat, rice and flour in the markets. Additionally, it will also provide relief from the frequent closure of National Highways due to heavy rains, snowfall and landslides, as rail services operate without interruption in all weather conditions. This will ensure timely and uninterrupted supply of essential commodities.

Since transportation by rail is done in bulk, the chances of damage and breakage of goods are also minimal. Further, with fewer trucks on the roads, traffic congestion, pollution and fuel consumption will reduce, which is an important step towards environmental conservation.

Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu said, “This rationalization is part of the Railway’s people-centric policy. Our goal is to ensure transportation of essential commodities in an economical, safe and timely manner. We appeal to farmers and traders to make maximum use of rail services for transportation of foodgrains and avail the benefits of this scheme”.