Railways Greenlights Survey For Doubling Of Rail Line Between Jammu And Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra

The Ministry of Railways has approved the final location survey for the proposed doubling of the 77.96 km rail line between Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, reported news agency PTI.

Northern Railway will oversee the entire project, which is estimated to cost Rs 12.59 crore.

"This survey will cover a length of 77.96 km and its estimated cost will be Rs 12,59,17,363. It is going to lay the foundation for the construction of this future railway line," Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway, was quoted as saying by PTI.

At present, the Jammu-Katra route operates on a single line via Udhampur, which limits capacity and restricts the introduction of additional trains.

Officials said the proposed doubling is intended to address these constraints and is aligned with broader efforts to modernise critical stretches of India’s railway network.

"This additional new line will greatly ease the travel of devotees who visit the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. It also reflects the efforts being made by Indian Railways to expand and modernise its network, especially in areas which are important from a strategic and public point of view," Upadhyay added.

“The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat has received a huge response from the locals as well as the tourists. So, sanctioning the final location survey is a timely decision taken by the Railway Ministry,” a senior official was quoted as saying.

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