The first ‘Kanda Express’, a dedicated rail service carrying 453.65 tonnes of onions from Nashik, arrived in Delhi on August 28 as the government stepped up efforts to increase supplies and curb a sharp rise in onion prices. The consignment was transported in 21 wagons.
The onions will be sold across Delhi-NCR at a subsidised price of ₹35 per kg, while part of the consignment will also be supplied to nearby cities including Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jammu. The Centre currently holds around 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions in buffer stock under the Price Stabilisation Fund.
The move comes after retail onion prices in Delhi surged 88% year-on-year to ₹62 per kg on August 27, compared with ₹33 per kg a year earlier. The all-India average retail price stood at ₹46.58 per kg.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the release of buffer stock through the dedicated rail service is expected to help bring down retail prices in Delhi within a week. A further Kanda Express rake is scheduled for Chennai, followed by consignments for Madurai, Ernakulam and Guwahati.
The Kanda Express initiative was launched in 2024-25 to improve the logistics of transporting large quantities of onions from surplus-producing regions to major consumption centres. Its scale has increased substantially, from 14 rakes carrying nearly 12,000 tonnes in 2024-25 to 86 rakes carrying around 88,000 tonnes to 16 cities in 2025-26.
Despite the price spike, the government said domestic onion availability remains comfortable, with estimated production of 307.37 lakh tonnes in 2025-26, broadly in line with the previous year’s output.