SRI NAGAR: With the improvement in the ground situation, the rail network in the militancy-hit Kashmir is being expanded up to the Line of Control (LoC) with the Northern Railway considering connecting the border town of Uri in north Kashmir with the train route. The train to Uri will not only benefit locals and businessmen, but also help in transportation of troops, equipment and supplies to forward areas of the LoC.
The Northern Railways has floated a tender for engineering survey work of the line/roadway using modern techniques like Aerial Survey (Aerial Photogrammetric survey or Aerial LIDAR) and DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System). The Final Location Survey (FLS) for a 50-km line between Baramulla to Uri has to be completed within three months after the tenders are awarded.
Chief Area Manager of the Kashmir Railways Saqib Yousuf said that the survey is being conducted for the extension of rail link to Uri. He said after the survey is completed, depending on the feasibility
it will be decided up to which area of Uri the rail link will be extended. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir in March this year had announced that the rail network in Kashmir would be expanded up to the LoC.
The extension of rail link up to border area of Uri would improve the connectivity of the local population. Their journey to Baramulla, Srinagar and up to Banihal in Srinagar-Jammu national highway would be eased.It would also help trade and business as the border areas, including Uri, have been thrown open for the tourists by the authorities after the improvement of the ground situation. The train link would help in mobility of the troops deployed at the LoC in Uri and other areas of north Kashmir.
3-month time for survey
The Northern Railways may start work on the 50km Baramulla-Uri sector, for which tenders have been floated. The Final Location Survey for the line will have to be completed within three months. The rail link up to border area of Uri will improve the connectivity of the local population.