Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday announced that Kashmir would get connected via trains with the rest of the country by the end of this year or early next year.
He said there has been good progress on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) and also the work on the Chenab and other bridges and major tunnels on the rail line are progressing well.
“By the grace of God, the train will chug on this route in December this year or January-February next year,” Vaishnaw said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar.
The minister on Saturday reviewed work on the Udhampur-Baramulla rail link project, which includes the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab river.
The minister said Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line is a dream project for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and it is being constantly monitored on technical and funds level.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given special emphasis to connect Kashmir valley with a rail link and more money has been allocated to compete the project in time.
“Prior to 2014 the annual budget for such an important project used to be Rs 800-900 crore. This year (Narendra) Modiji for this project in Jammu and Kashmir allocated Rs 6000 crore. You can see the difference yourself,” he said.
The Railway Minister also promised to extend the railway link beyond Baramulla up to Kupwara district along the Line of Control in north Kashmir.
The union minister said a specially designed 'Vande Bharat' train is being designed for Jammu and Kashmir. “Everything like temperature, snow, has been kept in mind while manufacturing this special train. Once the railway line is opened, the ‘Vande Bharat’ train will run in the middle of 2024,” he said.
Earlier, the Union Minister undertook a journey from Budgam Railway Station to Baramulla by 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 Baramulla Railway Station.
At Baramulla, the Minister interacted with Railway employees and inspected the dry fruit stall of “One Station One Product”. He appreciated the local dry fruits of Baramulla and purchased them using digital mode of payment.