Goyal: Pathankot rail line to be developed for tourism

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, December 2

Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal, while addressing a press conference here today along with Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, said that Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge railway would be developed from tourism point of view.

The CM along with Piyush Goyal came on an unannounced visit to Dharamsala today afternoon. Later, sources said that the Chief Minister had come here along with the union minister for railways for aerial survey of the Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway track.

Many BJP leaders from Kangra, including the party MP and former CM Shanta Kumar, have been demanding that the narrow gauge Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line should converted into broad gauge. However, the railways minister Goyal said that it would not be appropriate to convert the tract to broad gauge. He said that it would damage the fragile ecology of the area. Instead, the union minister would try to develop the narrow gauge railway line from tourism point of view.

The Union minister said that he had gathered information and found that journey on the 164 km Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line took around nine hours. Railways authorities had asked to take steps to reduce the journey from nine hours to six hours, he said.

He further said that the directions had issued to the railway board to introduce new design railway coaches that give vista vision to commuters on the track. As many as 17 railways stations on the track would be made Wifi enabled. For the past several years narrow gauge railway strips had not been purchased. The authorities have been directed to replace these strips on the portions of Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line wherever necessary with immediate effect, Piyush Goyal said.

‘Since I belong to Mumbai, I know that many film shootings can be done on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line which can provide employment to local youth,” Goyal said. The minister also said that plying of steam engine on Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line would be made a regular feature.

The Chief Minister apprised the minister that Himachal lacked in terms of railway network. The narrow gauge Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line, which transverses through Kangra valley, was constructed by the British in 1926.

The construction of railway line was started in the year 1926 and completed in 1929 by the British. Since then not much changes have been made to the track.