Jammu-Srinagar rail link to open this year

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, March 25

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the Jammu-Srinagar rail link would be opened this year, thus connecting the Valley with the rest of the country. Vaishnaw, who arrived in Srinagar, on a two-day visit, also said J&K would have Vande Bharat trains next year.

More funding

There was less funding before Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014. He has increased the funding six times of what it was. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Railway Minister

The minister visited the Budgam railway station and enquired about various procedures related to maintenance of trains at Carriage and Wagon Depot, Budgam.

Vaishnaw then undertook a journey from Budgam to the Baramulla railway station by a special inspection car. He made a detailed overview of the safety and security of the railway section and took stock of the passenger amenities at the Baramulla railway station.

He discussed with officials regarding the development works to be done at Baramulla. He also interacted with railway employees and inspected the dry fruit stall of ‘one station, one product’.

After this, Vaishnaw reached the Srinagar railway station in a special inspection car where a parcel office was inaugurated. The minister also inspected the ‘one station, one product’ stall there.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at the Srinagar railway station, he said Kupwara and other two destinations in the Valley would be connected through railway soon.

Vaishnaw said the rail services across J&K would be improved. “Telephone connectivity, double lines, parcel services, cement and pharmaceutical trade via railway would be ensured by the end of the year. Besides, facilities for apple trade will also be considered,” he said.

He said that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) project would be completed early next year. The budget allocation for the USBRL was about Rs 800 crore per year before 2014, which has been increased to Rs 6,000 crore in 2022-23, he added.

After connecting with the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla train service, a specially built Vande Bharat train would be introduced in this rail section, he added.

Vaishnaw, who is also the minister of Communications and Electronics and Information Technology, said every village and city in the UT would have a telecom facility.

J&K and Ladakh will have seamless connectivity. About 500 new mobile towers have been sanctioned for Ladakh and soon they will have good 4G/5G connectivity, he added.

500 mobile towers for Ladakh

• Vaishnaw, who is also the Minister of Communications and Electronics and IT, says 500 mobile towers have been sanctioned for Ladakh. Soon they will have good 4G/5G connectivity.
• According to the Union Minister of Railways, about 750 ‘one station, one product’ stalls, having area-specific items, have been put up at railway stations across the country.