Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 30: After years of anticipation, the Kashmir Valley is finally set to join India’s rail network next month when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi flag off the first-ever train service connecting Katra to Baramulla.
Mr Modi is scheduled to flag off the train on April 19, official sources said on Sunday. At present, the Kashmir Valley has an operational railway line that runs between Banihal and Baramulla, passing through Srinagar. However, this section is isolated from the rest of the country, as the missing link is the Banihal-Katra section, a part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
Fulfilling a long-anticipated dream of direct rail access for Kashmir, PM Modi will flag off the train from the Katra railway station of the Jammu rail division. According to reports, PM Modi will address a rally in Katra, which serves as a base camp for the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, after flagging off the historic train service.
Mr Modi is likely to be accompanied by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with other top political figures and officials.
The trial runs on the Katra-Baramulla railway track have been completed. Following an inspection in January, the Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the launch of train services between Katra and Kashmir. Initially, only one Kashmir-specific train will operate on the Katra-Srinagar route. An official stated that additional trains will be introduced based on public demand and response.
Sources said due to security concerns, passengers will be required to disembark at Katra railway station and transfer to another train to continue their journey to Kashmir. Anyone travelling to Srinagar from Delhi or any other part of the country, as well as those heading in the opposite direction, will have to undergo thorough security checks before boarding, they added.
