‘Amrud Express’ bears fruit

The gravy train just took on a new meaning. Yesterday, Eastern Railway introduced the ‘Amrud Express’ at the request of guava plan...

The gravy train just took on a new meaning. Yesterday, Eastern Railway introduced the ‘Amrud Express’ at the request of guava planters. The five-coach train will ply twice daily between Baruipir in South 24 Parganas district and Kolkata, and carry only guavas.

According to officials, the idea of the train was born when the Guava Babsayee Samiti wrote to ER officials, saying that much of the bumper guava crop produced in South 24 Parganas was rotting for want of transportation to the market.

‘‘The initiative to launch the train was taken by chief operations manager Subhas Ranjan Thakur. He held a meeting with representatives of the association and decided to start the train. It will run for two months,’’ says Samir Goswami, chief of the PR, Eastern Railways.

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Adds Hiren Ghosh of the association, ‘‘Because we had to use private vehicles, costs became prohibitive. Since railway frieght charges are much less, we approached the railways to help us.’’

For all the PR spin, though, the introduction of the train cuts both ways. Local train passengers have long complained of guava-sellers who force their way into compartments with their huge baskets;. With an exclusive train at disposal of guava traders, the Railways hope to score points with the passengers as well.

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