Yogesh
Jammu, Jan 07 : Ahead of its full-operational commencement, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Circle) Dinesh Chand Deshwal on Tuesday conducted statutory inspection of the Katra-Reasi section of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the visit was aimed at assessing the progress, safety standards, and operational preparedness.
Moreover, the Railways also announced train timing from Katra to Srinagar, which will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The railway officials said the CRS conducted a statutory inspection of Katra-Reasi section and also visited Anji Khad bridge, India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge, in Reasi district soon after reaching Katra this morning.
Deshwal will be visiting the iconic arch bridge over Chenab at Kauri — the world’s highest railway bridge — before the speed trial of Katra-Banihal by CRS Special on Wednesday afternoon, the officials said.
“We are conducting inspections of this (Katra- Reasi rail link) section. Structures like this require close scrutiny and the entire team is working on close inspection after which the team takes call for formal launch of trains operations on this section,” said Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Circle) Dinesh Chand Deshwal.
Commending the teams of Railways, he said the work is challenging but teams of railway engineers and support inked history by executing such a project with fine finish. He said the government will soon take a call on operationalizing this track.
“This is a new chapter in Railways history and technology used here is very advanced but the inspections are statutory required under SOP before commencing commercial operations of the trains and after verifying its reports, the government starts the formal operations of trains in the line,” the officer said.
Deshwal’s visit comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Jammu Railway division from New Delhi, paving the way for efficient management of train services in the northernmost region of India.
Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the completion of the Reasi-Katra section last month, an important development, which will connect Kashmir with the rest of the country after nearly three decades of stupendous work.
Moreover, Northern Railway announced train timings for this route, which will likely be inaugurated after January 20.
Indian Railways will soon start the Vande Bharat Express train from Srinagar to Katra. The route will be around 100 km and take about 2 hours and 30 minutes. According to the timing schedule, the Vande Bharat Express train will depart from Katra at 8.10 am and arrive in Srinagar at 11.20 am.
*Mail Express: Train timings*
Mail Express will run twice every day from Katra: Departure at 9.50 am and arrival in Srinagar at 1.10 pm, and departure at 3 pm and arrival in Srinagar at 6.20 pm.
*Train timings from Srinagar to Katra*
Mail Express will depart from Srinagar at 8.55 AM and arrive in Katra at 12.05 PM. The second run will be at 3.10 PM and arrive in Katra at 6.30 PM.
Vande Bharat will depart from Srinagar at 12.45 pm and arrive in Katra at 3.55 pm. The Vande Bharat train will leave Delhi at 7 PM and arrive in Srinagar at 8 AM.
The Katra-Srinagar section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is the most challenging part of this project. This rail link is considered a remarkable feat of engineering and has few comparisons around the world.
*Katra-Srinagar stations and fare*
Seven stations connect Katra and Srinagar include Reasi, Sawalkot, Sangaldan, Ramban, Banihal, Qazigunj and Bijbehara.
*Fare*
The fare from Katra to Srinagar is not set yet. However, the fare for the Vande Bharat train is expected to be between Rs 1500 and Rs 1600 for the AC chair car, and the fare for the executive chair will likely be around Rs 2000 to Rs 2500.
*Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat facilities*
The railways have shared that the train route between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar is designed to handle the tough weather and high altitudes in Jammu and Kashmir. Passengers will have many facilities. For instance, during winter, the coaches will have water lines and heating to keep passengers warm in the cold—(KNO)
