The first section linking Udhampur to Katra and the third section of the railway line between Banihal and Baramulla have been completed and both these sections are operational.
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link: In two years, Kashmir would be connected to the rest of India through the Indian Railways network. The work for the most difficult 111 km long section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project will be completed by December 2022 that would provide railway connectivity to Kashmir.
The first section linking Udhampur to Katra and the third section of the railway line between Banihal and Baramulla have been completed and both these sections are operational. To complete the most difficult section of Katra-Banihal, the work is going as per schedule.
The 25 km long Udhampur-Katra section, 18 km long Banihal-Qazigund section and 118 km long Qazigund-Baramulla section have been commissioned already. The 111 km long Katra-Banihal section, which is the last remaining section, is currently under execution. The GM further said that out of 174 km of tunnels on this section, 126 km has already been finished.
This alignment requires construction of as many as 62 crucial and major bridges and minor bridges, besides the development of 35 tunnels, totalling 103 kms length bringing the percentage of the total length of the tunnels’ alignment to about 80%. According to the officials, this project is highly important to provide a reliable and alternative transportation system to J&K to join Kashmir Valley to the country’s rail network. In the year 2002, considering the importance of this project, it was declared as a national project.
