Top officials of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) are likely to visit Katra-Reasi section of the Indian Railways on January 5 and 6 to carry out final inspections. The Commission is an organization that deals with the safety of rail travel and train operations in India but works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) of the Government of India. It deals with matters pertaining to safety of rail travel, train operations and is charged with certain statutory functions as laid down in the Railways Act (1989), which are of an inspectorial, investigatory & advisory nature.
One of the most important duties of the Commission is to ensure that any new Railway line to be opened for passenger traffic should conform to the standards and specifications prescribed by the Ministry of Railways. The Commission also clears the plying of new trains on new routes only after it is satisfied that the new line is safe in all respects for carrying of passenger traffic. Hence, what the inspection by CRS officials means here is that the train services beyond Katra railway station, all the way to Banihal and thence to Kashmir valley will start soon.
Incidentally, it was during legislative assembly elections for Jammu & Kashmir in May-June 1983 that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made an announcement regarding extending railway line from Jammu to Udhampur. However, the Udhampur railway station (now called Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan, code MCTM) received the first passenger train only on April 13, 2005, at least 22 years later. The construction of this 53-km rail link, of which at least 20 per cent is tunnels, progressed at a snail’s pace due to a host of factors.
While inaugurating the train service at Udhampur railway station, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that it was a significant milestone in connecting to Kashmir. He had then said that the railway services to the Kashmir valley could become a reality as early as 2007. Train services in standalone mode, however, started between Anantnag and Manzhama (Pattan, outside Srinagar) on October 11, 2008.
Almost two decades after Dr Singh had visited Udhampur, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla (USBRL) link is going to become a reality next month, in the year 2025. In all likelihood, most probably around Republic Day, a train services will start to Kashmir and these will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was present at Katra in 2014 for the train services which linked this holy town to rest of India.
With the aim of starting regular train services to Kashmir valley, the Indian Railways has been conducting trial runs of passenger and goods trains on the Katra-Reasi section. These trials started in right earnest around Christmas (December 25) after the completion of a tunnel on this crucial section. The Katra-Reasi section, spanning approximately 18 kilometres, is a crucial segment of the USBRL project, which aims to enhance connectivity and foster economic growth in the region.
This section proved to be the most difficult for the Indian Railways, particularly because of a tunnel which posed multiple challenges to those involved in the works there. The constant seepage of water and collapse of a portion of the tunnel stalled the Katra-Reasi linkage which could have been achieved a couple of years ago, but for this tunnel.
On the Katra-Reasi section lies the Anji Bridge, India’s first cable stayed railway bridge, and load trials were successfully completed some days ago here. This bridge, a key infrastructure project, will play a vital role in enhancing rail connectivity between the Kashmir valley and the rest of India. The 111-kilometer railway line between Katra and Banihal is in the final stages of completion, with necessary improvements and testing being carried out on the section between Reasi and Katra.
The Anji Bridge, which spans 725 meters, is designed to withstand heavy loads, making it an engineering marvel for India’s rail network.
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