In a historic feat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 48.1-km section of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which will provide an all-weather connectivity to the people of the region.
PM Modi will virtually dedicate to the nation the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan rail link of USBRL and flag off the first electric train from Baramulla to Sangaldan during his visit to Jammu on February 20, the Northern Railway officials mentioned.
As per a PTI report, a source in the Indian railways informed that Railways will get a step closer to connecting Srinagar with Kanyakumari. The source also called the “Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is one of the most ambitious Himalayan railway projects post Independence”.
USBRL’s Banihal-Sangaldan section
According to the railway authorities, the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan route has been built at Rs 15,863 crore, and is now prepared for service. Similarly, the present train routes from Baramulla to Banihal will be extended to Sangaldan, situated near the Ramban district headquarters.
Coming to the detail, the route encompasses 16 bridges, out of which 11 are major ones and one road overbridge. Over 90% of it is in tunnels, with 11 tunnels making up 43.37 kilometers, including the country’s longest transportation tunnel viz T-50. Notably, the tunnel spans 12.77 kilometers in the Khari-Sumber section, a senior official revealed.
Last-mile connectivity
The marquee project will connect thousands of families in remote pockets of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district. The people in this region have waited for years for the train services, and as the PM is slated to open the Banihal-Sangaldan section on Tuesday, it will fulfill their decades-old dream and completely transform their lives.
Further, the prime minister is also scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation of 209 projects worth Rs 3,161 crore, PTI report mentioned.
Understanding USBRL
Sanctioned in 1994-95, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link (USBRL) project (272 km) has a Rs 37,012 crore budget, against which, expenditure of Rs 26,786 crore has been incurred up to March 2022.
Out of the total 272 km USBRL project, 161 km was commissioned in phases. The first phase between the Qazigund-Baramulla section of 118 km was commissioned in October 2009, followed by 18-km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013 and 25-km long Udhampur-Katra in July 2014.
It is noteworthy that the world’s highest railway arc bridge over the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) also comes under the crucial link from the Katra to the Banihal section of USBRL.