All-Weather Rail Line Between Srinagar And New Delhi May Be Functional By 2021

In a bid to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country, the Narendra Modi government is fast-tracking a rail project which will enable trains to operate between New Delhi and Srinagar in 14 hours flat. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu is personally monitoring the project.

According to a report in the Economic Times, the project will cost over Rs 10,000 crore. The all-weather railway line could become functional in four years. “It will not only make passenger travel more convenient, which will give a push to tourism in the valley, but will also make the movement of freight to and from the valley a lot easier and cheaper, leading to the creation of more jobs in the strife-torn state,” a top government official told the daily.

About two-thirds of the 326km Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link is ready; however, an 111km stretch is yet to be completed. This section lies between Katra, near Jammu, and Banihal on the slopes of the Kashmir valley. Banihal is connected to Baramulla via Srinagar, while Jammu is linked to Katra via Udhampur.

The Katra-Banihal project is touted as the toughest in the country’s engineering history. It involves the construction of 27 bridges, including the tallest rail bridge in the world, and 37 tunnels, one of which will be the longest in Asia, at more than 12km.