Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link; On February 20th, 2024, the train services on the Banihal Khari Sunber Sangaldan section has started. The section is a 48.1 km long important segment of the most ambitious Udahmpur Srinagar Baramulla Rail link project in the country.
The USBRL project aims to link the Kashmir valley with the Jammu region, and the rail network covers an overall distance of 272 km, and about 161 km are already operational. PM Narendra Modi is likely to start the section and would flag off a train from Sangaldan, however, there is no official statement in relation to this as per PTI reports. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, this project is said to be the most difficult new railway line project post-independence.
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The Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section completed for 15,863 crores and is now prepared for service. According to the railway official,
he said:
“Spanning the challenging terrain of the Pir Panjal ranges, the USBRL aims at establishing an all-weather, comfortable and economically feasible transportation network, connecting remote Himalayan areas with the rest of the country.”
A senior official working on the project alleged,
“It features 16 bridges — 11 major ones, four minor ones and one road overbridge. More than 90 percent of this section is in tunnels, with a total of 11 tunnels covering 43.37 kilometres, including the country’s longest transportation tunnel, T-50, stretching 12.77 kilometers in the Khari-Sumber section,”.
He also added
“For safety and rescue, there are three escape tunnels with a combined length of 30.1 kilometres. Additionally, the section includes 30 curves spanning 23.72 kilometres. To further enhance passenger safety and comfort, several advanced features have been incorporated, such as ballastless tracks and canted turnouts (a first for the Indian Railways),”.
More about the Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project
The project will link Kashmir valley with the Jammu region and the rail network covers a distance of 272 kilometers. The project aims to lay the stone for an all weather comfortable, and also affordable transportation network that navigates the terrain of the Pir Panjal ranges.
The route built at the cost of 15,863 crores and is not ready for service. The current train route from Baramulla to Banihal will also be extended to Sangaldan , near the Rambana district headquarters. According to the senior official, the section has 16 bridges and out of them 11 are main ones and one road overbridge. More than 90 percent of it is in tunnels with about 11 tunnels and which also include T-50, India’s longest transportation tunnel that spans 12.77 kms in the Khari-Sumbers section.
For the safety and to carry out rescue work there are three escape tunnels as well of 30.1Kms combined length. With an aim for more comfort and safety of passengers, many advanced features have been included like canter turnouts and ballastless tracks. Some of the safety features that have been added include CCTV monitoring and the state of the art tunnel safety technology comprising firefighting systems and ventilation.
According to the official, “ Additionally, the section includes 30 curves spanning 23.72 kilometers. To further enhance passenger safety and comfort, several advanced features have been incorporated, such as ballastless tracks and canted turnouts (a first for the Indian Railways),”.
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