Srinagar, May 23 -- Abdul Rehman Dar walks through his cherry orchard in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, stopping every few steps to press a cluster of ripening fruit between his fingers. In a few days, labourers will begin picking the deep red cherries from his trees, packing them into small boxes for markets nearly 2,000 kilometres away in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

For most of his life, Dar grew cherries and then waited anxiously for them to leave Kashmir.

"Earlier, transport was always uncertain," he told Mint. "If roads closed because of rains or landslides, the fruit spoiled very quickly. This time growers are hopeful because the train can take the produce faster."

That hope is tied to one of the biggest changes in Kashmir'...