Srinagar
The government has been working on connectivity for a long time to keep Kashmir Valley connected to the rest of India in all weather conditions. This will also be an important achievement for Indian Railways in the New Year because a rail line directly connecting Delhi to Srinagar is going to start in January. Chief spokesperson of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said that currently the trial is going on that PM Narendra Modi himself will inaugurate the first Vande Bharat Express from Delhi to Srinagar. Chief spokesperson of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said that PM Narendra Modi will travel in the train on the inauguration day.
The final testing will be done before January 15 by the Safety Commissioner of Northern Circle, he said, ‘Work is going on on the 17 km long section between Katra Reasi. A goods train loaded with gravel and engine is being run on this route as part of testing. It is also being tried out on Anji river. After this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself can travel on Vande Bharat from Delhi to Srinagar. Upadhyay said that work on the 17 km long section between Katra and Reasi has been completed, which was a fast-paced process, which has been completed. Apart from this, the most difficult task here was the construction of T-33 tunnel, Which has now been completed.
Railway spokesperson said that if any deficiency is found in the safety audit, efforts will be made to remove it. He said that this will be the first time after India’s independence that Kashmir will be connected to the rest of India through some scheme in all seasons, due to the 17 km Reasi Katra stretch. Indian Railways said that this will be a game changer for the people of Kashmir also, he said that reaching the train directly from Delhi to Kashmir is a big step, it will be like a dream come true. He said that this is a big step in terms of infrastructure, this will strengthen the supply chain and people will get relief from inflation.
The railway official said that the number of tourists may increase because railway fares are much lower than air tickets. The Qazigund Baramulla section started in 2009 and the Banihal Qazigund section started in June 2013 and the 25 km journey between Udhampur to Katra started in July 2014. In February this year, a trial of electric train was also conducted between Banihal and Sangaldan railway stations. On this railway line, which was started in 2005-06, 38 tunnels were built between Udhampur, Srinagar and Baramulla, of which T-49 is 12.75 km long, which is the longest tunnel in the country’s railway network, and a total of 927 bridges have been built. .
