USBRL project brings connectivity, jobs, eco-safeguards to J&K: GoI

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New Delhi, Aug 6: The Union Government has outlined environmental safeguards, socio-economic contributions, and land acquisition details of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, including the Chenab and Anji Khad bridges, in a reply to the Lok Sabha.
The 272 km USBRL, now fully commissioned, spans Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, and Baramulla districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
Built through challenging Himalayan terrain, the project includes the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab river in Reasi — 1,315 metres long, a 467-metre arch span, and 359 metres above the riverbed — and India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge over Anji Khad, with its deck 331 metres above the riverbed.
According to the Railways Ministry, the project generated over 5 crore man-days of employment and created more than 215 km of approach roads, improving regional connectivity. Safety features include mechanical ventilation, firefighting systems, and 66 km of escape tunnels.
The ministry said environmental impact assessments, conducted by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), guided extensive slope stabilisation, erosion control, and muck management measures.
Slope stability was designed with inputs from the Indian Institute of Science, IIT Delhi, and international experts. Controlled blasting, sedimentation tanks, alternative water supply arrangements, and air quality sensors were also part of the mitigation plan.
The fully electrified rail line is expected to cut carbon emissions and boost tourism in the Kashmir Valley by providing all-weather connectivity.
On land acquisition, the government stated that 1,559.48 hectares of private land and 276.71 hectares of government land were acquired, with Rs 816.21 crore paid in compensation.
Displacements were addressed under the Jammu & Kashmir State Land Acquisition Act, 1990, with pending claims handled by the Revenue Department through an established legal mechanism. (KNO)