Work in full swing on Katra-Banihal rail link

Reasi, April 6

Work on the Rs 21,653-crore rail project connecting Kashmir with rest of the country is expected to be completed within two to three years in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement, a senior official said here.

General Manager, Northern Railway, Ashutosh Gangal also said there was no issue of seepage in the tunnels under construction as they are horseshoe-shaped to allow water to drain out. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, the most challenging railway infrastructure project being undertaken after Independence, has missed several deadlines amid huge cost escalations since 1997, when the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda laid its foundation at Udhampur.

"When you have a project of this magnitude, you come across various technical challenges and you need to improve knowledge and look for alternative ways to complete it," Gangal said when asked about the delays.

He said the project was a learning process for the Railways and "now we have come to a stage where we are confident that we will complete the project as per the prime minister's declaration … possibly in two and a half years".

Gangal and other senior railway officers were at Kauri in this hilly district of Jammu and Kashmir to witness the completion of the arch construction on the world's highest railway bridge, which soars 359 metres above the bed of the Chenab river. It has been described by the Northern Railways as a 'milestone'. — PTI

A 'milestone'

• It has been described by the Northern Railways as a 'milestone'
• A short film by the Railways on the achievement also highlighted the prime minister's message that the transporter was making all-out efforts to connect the Valley with rail lines in the next two to three years