INDIA: The steep valleys and verdant mountains of Jammu & Kashmir were tied more tightly into the Indian transport network when Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally flagged off the first through train from Katra to Srinigar on June 6.
Speaking at the celebration at Katra station before the specially decorated Vande Bharat inter-city trainset began its journey, Modi said the ‘inauguration of mega infrastructure projects marks a turning point in Jammu & Kashmir’s development journey’.
He then travelled to the newly completed railway’s most striking structure, the Chenab river bridge, which is claimed to be the highest in the world. Modi then walked across the bridge carrying the national flag.The Kashmir link is seen by many in the country as India’s most important infrastructure project. Under development since 1994, the 272 km Udhampur – Srinagar railway was designed to provide all-weather connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
Since the 1990s, the scheme has been much modified amid construction and route selection challenges, while the Indian government has approved extensions beyond Srinagar to serve Baramulla and in future to Kupwara. The initial estimated budget of Rs25bn approved in 1995 has since grown to exceed Rs400bn.
The 118 km section through the Kashmir Valley from Qazigund to Baramulla via Srinagar was relatively straightforward to build. It was put into operation in three stages, concluding in October 2009.
The ‘missing link’ between Katra and Qazigund was by far the most arduous and treacherous section of the route. The chosen alignment passes through the Reasi district, which has poor infrastructure and limited access. The Shivalik and Pir Panjal mountains lie in an earthquake-prone zone which includes some geologically unstable and unpredictable terrain. Two deep gorges also had to be crossed: the Chenab River and its tributary the Anji Khad.
Agricultural traffic
Initially, passengers from Delhi will arrive at Katra using Indian Railways’ existing service, which is typically operated by the latest Vande Bharat push-pull trainsets.
The Katra – Baramulla service is operated by a dedicated fleet of trains specially adapted for the tough climate in the mountains of Kashmir.
IR has modified five AC sleeper trains and one Vande Bharat trainset with chair cars for deployment on the route. The adaptations include embedded heating elements in the cab windscreens, and the installation of heated silicon elements in the onboard water tanks to prevent ice damage. Air driers that are used as part of the braking system have also been enhanced to meet local conditions.
However, while passenger traffic is important, the railway is expected to play a significant role in connecting the agricultural producers of Jammu & Kashmir to markets further south. The shorter transit time offered by the railway should favour fresh fruit, vegetable and plant producers in particular, IR believes.
Go deeper: read our detailed description of how the Kashmir rail link was built.
