Train – Kashmir to Kanyakumari going to be a reality soon
The rail line project having a length of 272 km from Baramulla to Udhampur, was started as a national project in 2002, for connecting the Kashmir valley to the rest of the country.
The 118 km long Quezigund-Baramulla section was made operational in October 2009 as a stand off rail system for the Valley only. Next came the 25 km long Udhampur – Katra section which began functioning from July 2014. The work on the 129km long Katra – Banhal-Kazigund section already started in June 2013.
Apart from the tunnelling problem, the biggest problem was building the bridge over the Chenab. It was going to be the biggest civil engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history. Once the stretch got completed, the train from Baramula would reach Kanyakumari without any hindrance. Recently, the track laying work on the Chenab bridge has been completed.
This bridge itself was built between Bakal and Kuri in the Riasi district. According to Indian Railways, this bridge falls under Seismic Zone IV. While the construction of the bridge began in 2002, the bridge was hailed as a major step towards rail connectivity. While it also has security measures against any possible terrorist attack, the bridge can withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes and high-intensity explosions.
The bridge has finally been built at a total cost of Rs 27949 crore and has a length of 1315 meters. It is made of 28,660 metric tons of steel. The useful life of the bridge will be around 120 years.
A small train was moved on Tuesday on the world’s highest railway track constructed on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link on the Chenab valley in Jammu and Kashmir.
The ceremony was observed at the Bakal Surrey and train was flagged off. These small trains will be operated on this track for two years.
Sources said that the train run was successful on the track on river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir on the first day and the trial is likely to be completed by the third week of this month. After it becomes operational, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link will be a major milestone in the completion of the USBRL, also known as the Kashmir Link.
The world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab got its lining in August last year, paving the way for engineers to lay tracks. About 300 engineers and 1,300 workers worked around the clock to build the bridge. The government had awarded the construction of the bridge to M/S Chenab Bridge Project Undertaking, a joint venture between Afcons Infrastructure, VSL India and Ultra Construction and Engineering Company of South Korea.
