Rail connectivity in Kashmir: The Ministry of Railways has prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for 158-km new line in the Kashmir Valley, aimed at improving train connectivity in the border region. Earlier, the national transporter had dropped the proposal to construct a 34-km new rail line between the Sopore and Baramulla section, even after a Detailed Project Report for the project was prepared.
“To extend the rail connectivity of existing Srinagar – Baramulla section, a survey for Sopore to Kupwara (34 km) New Line has been sanctioned and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared. However, the project has been dropped because it was found to be infeasible,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Rajya Sabha on Friday.
New railway lines in Kashmir Valley
Vaishnaw further said that Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been prepared for new rail lines, including the Qazigund–Srinagar–Budgam doubling project (118 km) and the Baramulla–Uri new line (40 km). He added that after preparation of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Government and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. “As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed,” the minister said.
Avantipore-Shopian new railway line in Kashmir
The Railways also dropped the proposal to extend rail connectivity in Pulwama district of Jammu & Kashmir after completion of survey. “To extend rail connectivity in Pulwama district of Jammu & Kashmir, a survey for
Avantipore (Kakapora) – Shopian (28 km) New line has been completed. However, the project is assessed to be infeasible and therefore it is dropped,” Vaishnaw said in a written statement in Rajya Sabha on Friday.
USBRL project in Jammu and Kashmir
Last year, the Ministry of Railways commissioned 272-km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. This national project covers the districts of Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam and Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, the national transporter said: “The USBRL project has made substantial socio-economic contributions to the region, with employment generation being a significant aspect of its impact. The project has generated more than 5 Cr. man-days of employment.”
