Katra-Banihal link: Indian Railways completes around 95 per cent work

Indian Railways has completed around 95 per cent of work on the Katra-Banihal route, paving the way to connect the Kashmir valley to the rest of the country, Northern Railways said on Friday.

The Northern Railways issued the statement after the zone’s General Manager Shobhan Chaudhuri carried out an inspection of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

“Out of the 272 km USBRL project, 161 km of Railway track has already been commissioned. On the remaining 111 km long Katra-Banihal section, the ongoing work is completed up to 95%…Work on the remaining portion is in full swing. Every day, Indian Railway is edging closer to connecting Kashmir Valley to the rest of the Railway network,” News 18 quoted a statement issued by railways.

Shri Shobhan Chaudhuri, General Manager, Northern Railway was on his Official Inspection Visit of the U.S.B.R.L. Project and other ongoing Railway Works and Jammu Station on 5TH July – 2023. pic.twitter.com/dhNgM0C0TJ

— Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern) July 7, 2023

With the aim of connecting the Kashmir region with the rest of the country, the Rail Link project is undertaken by the Indian Railways for the construction of a broad-gauge railway line through the Himalayas.

Chaudhuri commenced his inspection from Katra onwards by motor trolley up to tunnel T1. He directed all officers and staff to work in earnest ensuring all safety precautions and completing the work of the T1 tunnel, which is negotiating the most challenging geology of the Himalayas, the statement added.

He also conducted inspections of the Anji Bridge and Chenab Bridge. Anji Khad Bridge is the first and only cable-stayed rail bridge in the country.

He took a motor trolley inspection from Chenab Bridge to Dugga station. This project was sanctioned in 1994-95 and its anticipated cost was Rs 37,012 crore, against which an expenditure of Rs 26,786 crore has been incurred up to March 2022.

बादलों के बीच अद्भुत इंजीनियरिंग का नमूना पेश करता चिनाब रेल पुल।

जम्मू-कश्मीर के रियासी जिले में चिनाब नदी पर बन रहे 359 मीटर ऊंचे चिनाब पुल का एक शानदार दृश्य।#Infra4India pic.twitter.com/5uIW7mZqoJ

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) February 8, 2022

This rail section is the only non-functional one in the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project. The section has 35 tunnels and 37 bridges.

The Northern Railway in April this year achieved yet another major milestone by breaking through the T-14 tunnel between Sangaldan and Sawalkote stations on the 111-km under-construction Banihal-Katra railway link in Jammu and Kashmir.

In December last year, a major milestone was achieved by executing the breakthrough of Escape Tunnel T-49 between Sumber and Khari Stations on the Katra–Banihal section of the USBRL project.

The length of the escape tunnel is 12.895 km. This is the longest escape tunnel in India and the line and level of the tunnel are precisely achieved during the breakthrough of the Escape Tunnel.