Post Harvest Management of Horticultural Crops

Rail transport

Wherever possible, goods train are important means of transportation for most of the commodities However the time taken by rail is sometimes more than by roads but the cost of transportation is very cheap. Eg. onions, potato, root vegetables etc.,

Unrefrigerated rail transport - As with road transport of perishables, unrefrigerated rail transport can only be effective over relatively short distances, actual distance being influenced by prevailing weather conditions and time of transportation.

Refrigerated rail transport - A rail car with mechanical refrigeration equipment can be a larger unit than that transported by road, i.e. 15-20 m in length. A number of modifications can be made to rail cars. For example, a car may be modified to carry bulk produce e.g. potatoes, provided with heaters for winter transportation of chill-sensitive produce in cool climate.