Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Jan 1: The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is set to conduct the final inspection of the Katra-Reasi section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link on January 7 and 8, as part of the effort to complete the rail link from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, officials said.
Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyaya said the CRS (Northern Circle) is expected to inspect the 16.501 km Katra-Reasi section under the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla New BG Rail Link Project before January 15.
The chief PRO said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the Jammu Railway Division from New Delhi on January 6.
Sources in Northern Railways said that after the inauguration of the Jammu Railway Division, the CRS will conduct the final inspection on January 7 and 8. Senior officials, including the CAO/USBRL, CBE, CSE, COM-G, CEGE from HQ, DRM/FZR, and other officers, will accompany the CRS during the inspection.
Indian Railways is set to introduce a new Vande Bharat train and two Mail/Express trains for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. These trains will operate between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) and Srinagar railway stations and will be maintained by the Northern Railway zone.
As per a communication from Northern Railways Vande Bharat Train will depart from Katra (SVDK) at 8:10 am. and arrive at Srinagar Railway Station at 11:20 am.; Mail/Express Train 1 will depart from Katra at 9:50 am. and arrive at Srinagar Railway Station at 1:10 pm. and Mail/Express Train 2 will depart from Katra at 3:00 pm. and arrive at Srinagar Railway Station at 6:20 pm.
The 17-km Katra-Reasi section’s final phase, including the challenging T-33 tunnel, has been completed. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project, initiated in 2005-06, includes several sections: the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section (2009), the 18 km Banihal-Qazigund (2013), and the 25 km Udhampur-Katra (2014). In February, a successful electric train trial run was held on the 40 km Banihal-Sangaldan track, and normal train operations are currently running on this section.
The railway line features 38 tunnels, including the T-49, India’s longest at 12.75 km, and 927 bridges, including the world’s highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab River and the only cable-stayed rail bridge in India over the Anji River in Reasi.
