news details |
|
|
| Kashmir gets train ride in June, Lalu non committal on linking Udhampur | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Apr 8
This summer, the Kashmir Valley is all set to have the train chugging between its north and south corridors but the Railway Minister Lal Prasad Yadav, who concluded his three day J&K visit today, has remained non-committal on any time frame for linking Udhampur with Qazigund.
Before winding up his three day visit to the state, Lalu along with family visited the Nowgam Railway Station in Budgam district of central Kashmir and had a brief ride of the train, one of the most beautiful coaches of the Indian trains. The bogey was especially decorated for the Railway Minister.
Speaking to the reporters at Nowgam station, Lalu expressed confidence of running first train service on 66 Kilomter stretch between south Kashmir district of Anantnag and central Kashmir district of Budgam by June. He said that the Qazigund-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link of the prestigious Kashmir rail project would be made functional by August.
When, asked about the progress of work on the most difficult part of the rail link between Udhampur and Qazigund, he told reporters at the Srinagar railway station at Nowgam that officers involved in the project would be in a better position to talk about it.
The Udhampur-Qazigund link passes through mountainous terrain on which nearly two dozen bridges and tunnels are to be constructed for connecting Kashmir Valley to rest of the country by rail. Yadav went around the railway station and inspected the facilities for the commuters there besides interacting with local work force working on the railway project.
With trains set to chug along the picturesque Valley this summer, Railways have drawn a plan to set up nine railway stations in the region. The railway stations would come up at Anantnag, Baijpora, Pampore, Kakapora, Awantipora, Rajvoser, Srinagar and Budgam and Baramulla.
Some of these stations have already come up and others are under the process of completion, they said adding that one car shed for repairs too has come up at Budgam.
Over 15 bogies, three engines and track repair vehicle have already been sent to the Kashmir valley. The trial run of the inaugural train was conducted in February. The trial started from central Badgam district railway station and ended at Panzgam railway station in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
The rail project is being commissioned in two phases. In the first phase, the rail link between south Kashmir's Anantnag district and north Kashmir's Baramulla district will be completed while in the second phase, railway operations between the valley and the rest of the country will begin. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
