India's first ever 'Kisan Rail' to begin services from today

India's first Kisan Special Parcel Train or Kisan Rail will start from August 7 and will transport materials between Maharashtra's Devlali and Bihar's Danapur.

It will be flagged off by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar video conferencing.

The train will start at 11 am and is scheduled to reach its destination Danapur on August 8 at 6:45 pm, covering a distance of 1519 kilometres in around 32 hours.

As announced in the current year's Budget to start 'Kisan Rail' for providing a seamless supply chain of perishable produce, the Ministry of Railways is introducing the first Kisan Rail from Devlali to Danapur on August 7 at 11 am on a weekly basis...," the ministry said in a statement.

Kisan Rail will carry fruits and vegetables and will make stoppages at several stations and pickup and deliver them. There will be no seating arrangement in the train as it is not meant to carry regular passengers. The parcel trains will have a composition of 10+1 coaches.

The train will cover the routes viz, Devlali - Nasik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Burhanpur, Khandwa, ltarsi, Jabalpur, Satna,Katni, Manikpur, Prayagraj Chheoki, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar and Buxar. Devlali falls under Maharashtra's Bhusawal division adjoining Nashik which is known for its vegetables, fruits and flowers which are being sent to the entire North Indian region covering Patna, Pryagraj and Katni.

Kisan Rail will carry fruits and vegetables and will make stoppages at several stations and pickup and deliver them.

The Kisan Rail project was mentioned by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her presentation of the Union Budget 2020-21.

From Maharashtra's Devlali to Bihar's Danapur, the train will cover the journey of 1,519 kilometres in over 31 hours.

This train is a step towards realizing the goal of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022. Indian Railways aims to help double farmers’ income with the launch of Kisan Rail.

The train with frozen containers is expected to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, inclusive of fish, meat and milk.