A journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari on track
SRINAGAR: The long-awaited train service from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is about to become a reality. This follows the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) inspecting the 17 km Katra-Reasi stretch of the 65 km Katra-Sangaldan section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link on January 5, 2025.
This is a vital link connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country. PM Narendra Modi is likely to dedicate it to the nation on January 26. “Of the 65-km long Katra-Sangaldan, the Reasi-Sangaldan part including Reasi Station has been completed. Only a 17 km stretch between Katra and Sangaldan which has the iconic Anji Khad bridge is pending CRS inspection. All of them together will be inaugurated together by the PM,” said K Sainath Reddy, executive engineer of Konkan Railway at Reasi Station.
Anji Khad Bridge, which connects two tunnels between Katra and Reasi station is India’s first cable-stayed bridge is 473.35 meters long. Katra is the last railway station on the Jammu side where people get down for the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. “The bridge has support of 96 cables having
cable lengths varying from 82 meters to 295 meters,” said Sjuo Kumar Deputy Chief Engineer (Bridges) of Konkan Railways. After Reasi, comes Bakkal, and thereafter comes Kanthan Chenab Railway Station. Before the station is Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge.
“The height of this arch bridge is 359 meters above the riverbed. It is taller than the Statue of Unity, which is 182 meters, and the Eiffel Tower, which stands at a height of 330 metres,” said RR Mallick, Deputy CE of Chenab Bridge.
For the people in the rest of the country, especially those down South, Kashmir is a dream destination, which the majority have heard of or seen only in movies.
Given the high cost of air travel, Kashmir visit remains a dream for many. “If there is a train to Srinagar, I would go. My heart desires to see Dal Lake in Srinagar, where the famous song from Kashmir Ki Kali was shot,” said Swapna from Vijayawada.
Qadir, who has been operating a Shikara on the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar for more than 40 years, calls it a welcome development. Afsan, who operates Kashmiri Arts Gallery, a floating shop on Dal Lake said many artisans and craftsmen would benefit. Feroz, who runs a Kashmiri crafts shop in Srinagar, said, “Now, we are spending anywhere between Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 on cabs. The cost would decrease by one-third,” he said.
Nisar from Anantnag said the though the new railway connection will bring more opportunities for Kashmir, but there are concerns that those dependent on transportation like cabs, trucks, might suffer from decrease in demand for them.