In line with Government’s vision to give economical, direct market access to the farmers, Solapur Division of Central Railway has achieved a significant milestone with the commencement of direct Silk Cocoon transportation from Pandharpur to Ramanagaram in Karnataka, Asia’s largest silk cocoon market, on 27th November 2025.
This is culmination of Division’s consistent efforts through a dedicated Business Development Unit which resolved to reach out to the farmers directly.
Ramanagaram, located near Bengaluru in Karnataka, is the biggest cocoon trading hub in Asia. Although Solapur Division is already connected to Ramanagaram through Train No. 16536 Pandharpur–Mysuru Gol Gumbaz Express and 17308 Bagalkot–Mysuru Basava Express, Silk Cocoons could not be booked earlier due to the trains’ scheduled halt of less than five minutes at Ramanagaram.
To resolve this issue and provide seamless logistics support to farmers, by joint action by CR (Central Railway) and SWR (South Western Railway) was undertaken. While CR worked on loading, SWR worked on unloading, as a result of these sustained efforts direct booking of Silk Cocoons was made possible for the first time.
Taking immediate benefit of this new facility, a farmers’ group from Pandharpur booked 38 bags of Silk Cocoons weighing 1,500 kg on the very first day. This earned the Railways a new revenue stream, while offering farmers a highly economical transportation option at less than Rs 5 per kg. Rail based transport is more than 30% cheaper and much faster than road transport.
This new service will now enable affordable, end-to-end transport of Silk Cocoons from Pandharpur, Solapur and Kalaburagi to Ramanagaram, ensuring direct market access for farmers and significantly reducing logistics cost.
The initiative is a direct outcome of the Amrit Samvad programmes conducted at Pandharpur and Kalaburagi-a stake holder connect initiative of Ministry of Railways where unit heads informally interacted with users. The platform enabled direct interaction with stakeholders, helping the Division identify and address farmers’ needs quickly and effectively.
Solapur Division serves a prominent fruit growing region of the country apart from sugar industries and remains committed to promoting agriculture-based freight transport and supporting the economic growth of the region through efficient and customer-friendly railway services.
- Train No 16536 Gol Gumbaz Exp is a daily train service departing at 1 pm from Pandharpur and 3:30 pm from Solapur towards Ramanagaram.
- Train no 17308 Basava Exp is a daily train service departing at ,7:30 pm from Solapur and 9:15 pm from Kalaburagi towards Ramanagaram.
The Solapur Division of Central Railway appeals to silk cocoons producing farmers to take benefit of the daily railway services.
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