Published: February 26, 2008
First Train to Run in Kashmir This Year
By Fayaz Wani
Srinagar, Feb 26 - The construction of 290 km long railway line in Kashmir would be completed by 2008-09. This was revealed by India's railway minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav while presenting his railway budget in the Indian capital, New Delhi, Tuesday.
The 11,000-crore rupees project envisages laying tracks from Udhampur in Jammu to Baramulla in north Kashmir, the entire 290-km route.
Work on the railway line was to be completed in 2004 but owing to the difficult terrain, the deadline has been extended several times.
An official said that the 290km railway line would have 80 tunnels. One tunnel will be 12 kms long.
"A 1.3-km bridge on river Chenab at a height of 359 m from the riverbed is being constructed. This will be the highest railway structure in the world," he added.
Yadav said that the railway lines in South and central Kashmir have already been completed and work is going on in North Kashmir and from the Jammu side as well.
He said the trains will help to attract more tourists to Kashmir.
Former Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi had promised trains to Kashmir when she was in power.
The project never materialised, despite the interest of New Delhi which wanted better connectivity to Kashmir, primarily for better access of its troopers to the area, which has its borders with India's nuclear neighbours Pakistan and China.
New Delhi has a long history of strained relations with both Islamabad and Beijing.
Kashmir is connected to India only through a fair weather 294 km long Srinagar-Jammu highway, which often gets blocked with heavy rainfall or light snowfall.
Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.
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