According to reports, the Vande Bharat train service between Katra and Srinagar is all set to commence after January 20, providing passengers with a fast and comfortable travel option, besides making a significant contribution towards the region’s economic growth.
With the train to Kashmir expected to formally start rolling after January 20, the final trial runs are scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday, The Telegraph reported.
Meandering through the Himalayas and snow-capped mountains, the train run was successfully held on the Katra-Banihal section on Saturday.
This was a crucial step towards the final statutory safety inspection slated this week to determine the commencement of rail services to Kashmir, according to PTI.
In the last month, the Railways has conducted as many as six trial runs across various segments of the track. This includes key milestones like India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, and the iconic arch bridge over the Chenab at Kauri, which is the highest railway bridge in the world.
“Under the safety trials, we conducted today’s trial. We were part of this run, and it was successful,” said Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) Sandeep Gupta, adding that the Commissioner of Railway Safety is conducting statutory inspections and trials on January 7 and 8.
USBRL project
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is aimed at providing rail connectivity from the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country.
The Anji Khad Bridge features a single pylon rising 331m above the riverbed and has been described as a ‘true engineering marvel’. It has a total of 48 cables on its lateral and central spans. Construction work on the pylon started in 2017, and the structure now stands 191 m above its foundation level.
This one is the second-highest railway bridge after the iconic arch bridge over the Chenab at Kauri — world’s highest railway bridge at 359 metres above the riverbed.
Wait for 126 years
The Udhampur-Baramulla project was first proposed in 1898 by Dogra ruler Maharaja Pratap Singh. He explored the possibility of a railway line connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar, but the idea had to be put on hold because of complications involved in laying the track over a hilly terrain.
According to IANS, the Maharaja, in 1905, approved a railway line between Jammu and Srinagar via Reasi through the historic Mughal Road. This included a 763 mm gauge railway climbing via the Mughal Road at 11,000 feet on the Pir Panjal Range. However, an elevated pass meant that it was not all-weather, thus making it impractical.
The tracks were laid over the years up till Udhampur, 65km ahead of Jammu. But no real progress was made until former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared it a national project in 2001 while setting a 2007 completion deadline. After missing multiple deadlines, the cost of the project has shot up six times to nearly ₹35,000 crore, The Telegraph reported.
The Jammu division will manage the USBRL project, which is now nearing its completion.