Jammu: A direct train service from Jammu to Srinagar is likely to begin before the year’s end as all operational and redevelopment works in the Jammu division will be completed before November 30, said the Indian Railway officials.
The operationalisation of the direct train from Jammu to Srinagar will be a major milestone in the rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country.
At present, the Vande Bharat train operates between Katra town of Reasi district and Kashmir.
The Northern Railways has fast-tracked operational, and redevelopment works in the Jammu division to enable a direct train service between Jammu and Srinagar, a move that will mark a big milestone in J&K’s railway connectivity.
Northern Railway officials said the direct train service is likely to start from Jammu railway station to Srinagar soon. “Work is underway to make the direct service possible. Flash floods earlier slowed down progress and shifted our targets, but the project is now being pushed aggressively,” the officials said.
They added that the major challenges lie on the Jammu–Katra stretch, where work on bridges, tracks, and station redevelopment is in progress.
“At Jammu station, there are two categories of work: civil structure and track-related. The track work is almost complete, while civil structures, including new platforms and station facilities, are nearing completion. The progress is being monitored to establish Jammu–Srinagar connectivity at the earliest,” an official added.
Operational and redevelopment works are expected to be completed before the end of November, and after that, a decision on starting the direct train service from Jammu to Srinagar would be taken.
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is the most challenging railway project ever undertaken by the Indian Railways. This challenging project runs through the Himalayas and includes engineering marvels like the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River and India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge over the Anji Khad.
The line is now fully operational, providing all-weather connectivity and spurring socio-economic development in the region.
The train to Kashmir has been an over-century-old dream that was fulfilled when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat train from Katra town to Srinagar on June 6.
(IANS)
