SRINAGAR: Kashmir will be connected with the rest of the country through a railway link from next year, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha announced on Monday. “Connectivity has remained a big issue in Jammu and Kashmir. However, since August 5, 2019, due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government, J&K has witnessed development in connectivity, whether it is rail, road or air travel,” Sinha said while addressing the fourth Heli-India Summit at Srinagar.
“The railway link will connect Kashmir with Kanyakumari,” Sinha said. Work on 272km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) is currently going on. The rail line has been laid on three sections of 25km from Udhampur to Katra, 18 km from Banihal to Qazigund and 118 km from Qazigund to Baramulla and trains also operate on them on a daily basis.
Work on the 111km railway line from Katra to Banihal, which is a difficult stretch due to its topography, is also going on at present. Of the 111km stretch, 58km will pass through a tunnel. The railway stretch from Katra to Banihal would be having the world’s highest railway bridge over River Chenab at Khour region of Reasi district at a height of 359 metres from the bed level. The bridge will be higher than Qutub Minar and Eiffel Tower.
The USBRL would provide all-weather rail connectivity to Kashmir with the rest of India for the first time since 1947. It will reduce Kashmir’s dependency on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The Valley has so far been dependent on the 271km national highway, which is the only road link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country for supplies. The highway remains closed for traffic for days together in winter due to heavy snowfall.
According to officials, the all-weather rail connectivity would boost travel to the Valley and will act as a catalyst towards accelerated development, progress and prosperity in the region.