Katra-Reasi Section Gets Railway Safety Approval For 85 Kmph Speed, Jammu-Kashmir Vande Bharat Train To Operate Soon

The newly-built 17-km Katra-Reasi section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail (USRBL) project in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has received approval from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) for train operations.

According to officials quoted by Indian Express, the CRS has authorised the movement of trains between Shri Vaishno Devi Dham Katra and Reasi at a speed of 85 kilometres per hour (kmph).

“Apart from this, we have received fitness approval at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour on the loop line of the station. The final CRS report has cleared the way to run a train between Jammu and Srinagar soon. Preparation to run Vande Bharat and DEMU and MEMU trains from Jammu to Srinagar is ongoing,” a Railway Ministry official said.

The USBRL project, also known as the Kashmir line, received approval in the 1994-95 period. The first three phases of the project were successfully completed by 2014, enabling train services between Baramulla and Banihal in the Kashmir valley.

Train services were also operational between Jammu, Udhampur, and Katra in the Jammu region. However, the Banihal-Katra Section, spanning 111 kilometers, presented the greatest challenge due to geological factors.

The Banihal-Katra section has tunnel sections over a length of 97 km, while 7 km is covered by four main bridges. It also features the World’s highest arch bridge (i.e 359 m) on the Chenab River, which the Railways called "the toughest challenge," especially constructing foundation support of the bridge.

"It was achieved by a rock bolting method using 30,000 tonnes of steel. The other main challenge was to build India’s first cable-stayed bridge on the Anji River. The two other bridges on the section are Reasi Bridge and Bakkal Bridges," the Railway Ministry said in a statement.

The T50, the lengthiest tunnel in the USBRL project, extends for 12.77 km. According to officials, cameras are strategically installed every 50m within the tunnels to monitor operational safety. Additionally, the railways have constructed 215 km of roads in the area to facilitate access to the project sites.

The CRS has given the green light for an eight-coach Jammu-Kashmir Vande Bharat train to operate on the route. This train is unique from other Vande Bharat trains in its ability to function in extremely cold temperatures, going as low as -20°C.