Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday confirmed that passengers will have to go for transhipment at Katra railway station once the commercial operation begins on the Delhi-Srinagar railway line.
Addressing a virtual press conference, the minister said for transhipment the next train will be available at the same platform where the train stops.
"This practice is already in place in many countries. People will continue their onward journey on the same ticket but will have to change the train because the upward train is designed for Srinagar temperature," the minister said.
The passengers will have to go for transhipment at Katra railway station.
Vaishnaw said all the tests on 272 kms Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Railway-Line (USBRL) have been done and the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has submitted his report, which is being evaluated.
“The commercial operation between Katra and Srinagar will start soon and after that once the Jammu station work is completed, trains will run between Srinagar and Jammu,” he said.
The minister said the timetable of the Srinagar bound Vande Bharat will be up to Jammu railway station but as the expansion work is currently being executed at Jammu Tawi railway station, which is expected to be completed by August-September, that Vande Bharat will run between Srinagar and Katra and after that it will be extended upto Jammu.
“The Jammu Tawi railway station only had three platforms but now it is being increased to seven and it is in the process of being made a quality station under the Amrit Bharat station Scheme. Three more railway stations of Jammu and Kashmir will be developed under ABSS,” the minister said.
The other three stations include Udhampur, Katra and Budgam stations.
Referring to budgetary provision for railways in Jammu and Kashmir, the minister said Rs 844 crore has been kept in the budget for union territory.
“As the USBRL project is nearing completion, fewer provisions have been kept for J&K but if any new project is started, the budgetary provisions will be increased,” he said.
The minister emphasized significant progress made in railway electrification, noting that since 2014, a total of 344 km of railway tracks have been electrified, making Jammu & Kashmir 100% electrified.
Addressing a query regarding the need for passengers to change trains at Jammu Railway Station for onward travel to Srinagar, Vaishnaw said this requirement arises due to the varying terrain and climatic conditions. “The redevelopment of Jammu Railway Station is being planned with these factors in mind to ensure seamless travel.”
“The budgetary allocation and development projects reaffirm the government’s dedication to modernizing railway infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir, fostering economic growth, and improving connectivity in the region,” added the minister