Railways gears up to launch trains connecting Kashmir with rest of India
The Indian Railways is gearing up to launch train operations connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the operations in January even as the final date for inauguration is yet to be declared. He was also expected to inaugurate a 6.5 kilometre, two-lane road tunnel connecting Sonamarg with Kangan town in Kashmir.
Officials said the railway safety commissioner would conduct the final inspection of the Katra-Reasi section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line on January 5, meaning the commencement of train services were expected to be as early as next month.
A cargo train successfully completed a trial run on the 17 kilometre Katra-Reasi section on Wednesday as part of the evaluation of overall readiness.
Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on December 13 said the track construction of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line was complete. “Historic milestone; final track work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link is complete. The ballastless track work for the 3.2 km-long Tunnel T-33, located at the foothills of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and connecting Katra to Reasi, was successfully completed today [December 13] at 02:00 hrs,” he said in a post on X.
The railways modified five sleeper trains and a Vande Bharat train with chair cars at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai for deployment on the Jammu-Kashmir route in line with the region’s harsh weather conditions. “Passenger safety will also be prioritised with airport-style security checks at boarding stations,” an official said.
