Tourists, common people, students and the business community have termed the connecting rail track from Kashmir to Delhi as a welcome step believing it will prove to be a game-changer for Kashmir.

Northern Railways made history by cutting through the Himalayan range to connect the Kashmir Valley to other parts of the country via rail. It took 20 long years for Indian Railways to complete this project, spending Rs 37,000 crores. The historic announcement was made by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The Minister wrote on X, “Historic milestone; initial track work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link is complete. The ballast-less track works for the 3.2 km-long Tunnel T-33, located at the foothills of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and connecting Katra to Reasi, were successfully completed today at 02:00 hrs.”

The news spread a wave of happiness among the people of Kashmir. Kashmir, being a tourist destination, welcomes millions of tourists every year. However, many wish to visit Kashmir but cannot afford the airfare or find the road journey unsafe and exhausting. Now, with the train connection, they can visit without hassle. Kashmir could also become a weekend destination for more people.

Navdeep Singh said, “We had a lot of difficulties getting here. We first had to take a train from Punjab to Jammu, then I found out there was no direct train, so I boarded a cab to Banihal and then took a train here. It will be a great benefit for tourists coming from Delhi to Kashmir to enjoy their weekend here.”

The business fraternity in Kashmir has also welcomed the step, believing it will be a game-changer for the region and bring new heights to Kashmir’s business and tourism industries.

Manzoor Pakhtoon, a member of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and president of the Houseboat Association, said, “This is a welcome step and a historic development. It was our long-standing demand to have train connectivity to all metro cities. It’s good that the track is completed, and we hope the train will soon reach here. It will benefit us because middle-class tourists couldn’t visit due to high airfare, but now all classes can visit. Everyone wants to come to Kashmir at least once in their life. The tourism sector will get a boost, and we believe there will be more chances for development and employment opportunities. Other industries will also grow because, in winters, highways get closed, but with rail connectivity, that won’t happen.”

This has been a long-standing demand from the common people of Kashmir to have cheaper and faster connectivity with the rest of the country. People in Kashmir believe this will bring a 360-degree change to their lives.

Ashiq Hussain, a local, said, “I think it’s a very good thing. When we had to travel to Jammu, we faced a lot of difficulties, but now with the train, we’ll get great relief. It will help businesses too. Trains will make the journey much easier. We should welcome it. It’s good for everyone including students and common people. We were waiting for this.”

Thousands of Kashmiri students study outside Kashmir, and they either have to travel by plane or road, which is expensive and time-consuming. With the new train connection, they will not only save money but also time and the journey will be faster and more comfortable.

The 272-kilometer-long railway track from Baramulla to Katra is fully secured. Of these 272 kilometres, 193 kilometres from Baramulla to Sangaldan already have train services running with foolproof security arrangements. Two security wings, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the General Railway Police (GRP), are dedicated to the protection of railway stations and tracks.

RPF is stationed at every station from Baramulla to Katra and is responsible for station security. X-ray machines are installed at every station to frisk people and their luggage to ensure no untoward incidents occur.

GRP is responsible for tracking security. Every 5 kilometres on the track, 5-7 GRP soldiers conduct rounds, with guard rooms at each entry and exit point of bridges and tunnels. They also have rotating patrol shifts, and the soldiers are from Jammu and Kashmir Police, transferred to the General Railway Police.

The track, which passes through the most difficult terrain of the Himalayas, has the maximum number of bridges and tunnels in any railway track in the country. It includes 931 bridges and 38 tunnels, with the longest tunnel being 12.5 kilometers long and the highest bridge in the world over the Chenab River, standing 359 meters above the river – higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Every bridge and tunnel has security guard rooms at their entry and exit points. CCTV cameras are installed at every station, tunnel, and bridge, monitored round the clock by railway and security authorities from sub-control rooms connected to the main control room in Srinagar and Udhampur. A frisking point may be set up at Katra for checking passengers and their luggage.

Once train operations begin from Katra to Srinagar, additional deployments of CRPF and SSB are also planned to sanitize the area and secure small and large stations, as well as sensitive locations.

This rail project began in 2004 and took 20 years to complete, passing through the difficult terrain of the Himalayas and the Chenab River. The project cost approximately Rs 37,000 crores. The track includes 931 small and large bridges, with the highest being the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge and 38 tunnels, including a 12.5 km electrified tunnel, the longest in India. 

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