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The Jammu-Udhampur rail link
Om
Prakash
Udhampur at a height of 861
meters above sea level in Jammu and Kashmir will soon be on the map
of the Indian Railways. Bholu, its mascot, will register the
Railways’ presence in this hilly district of the State. The 53
kilometre - long railway track between Jammu and Udhampur is now
almost complete and just waiting for a train to pass by.
Built at a cost of Rs. 550 crore, it is an engineering marvel
telling us how we are capable of completing arduous tasks despite
hurdles. The project, which was sanctioned by the then Prime
Minister, Indira Gandhi , in the early 80s, was delayed due to
geo-technical problems and lack of funds at the initial stages. But
in 1994-95 sufficient funds were allocated and the work gained
momentum.
The railway line passing though hilly
stations like Bajalta, Sangar, Manwal and Ramnagar Road also touches
the hearts of the locals of all age groups who express their joy by
merely watching it with the hope that soon they will be able to
boost their business activities and save their time while travelling
to Jammu and other places in the country.
Laying of a railway line on rocks and cliffs has not been an easy
task due to the topography of the Shivalik ranges which has always
been a challenge. But engineers, labourers, and the railway
officials have made it possible with their determination. Using the
latest technology, the railway line has been laid with 20 tunnels
and 158 bridges. It has the longest tunnel of about 2.5 km length
which is longer than the Jawahar Tunnel on the National Highway No.1
on the Pir Panjal ranges, connecting the Kashmir valley with the
rest of the country by road. The Gambhir bridge is another example
of the engineering feat. It is 77 metres high. It is the highest
rail bridge in this section.
The Northern Railway has devised its
own technique for better riding quality with reinforced concrete
piers for all viaducts, long-welded tracks laid on heavier rails and
ballast-less tracks in tunnels with proper ventilation. The Udhampur
district in Jammu and Kashmir has a significant place in the
country. This is where the Vaishno Devi shrine is located. It
attracts lakhs of devotees round the year. This rail link between
Jammu and Udhampur will make the pilgrimage easy for those devotees
who cannot make it due to the arduous bus journey from Jammu at
present. It will be made still easier when Udhampur will be linked
with Katra by train, the base camp of the Vaishno Devi Temple. The
25 km-long rail link is likely to be completed by March next year.
Nearly 25 lakh cubic metres of
earthwork out of a total of about 40 lakh cubic metres has been
completed. While the work on 6 bridges has been completed, the
construction of 4 bridges is in progress. There will be nine major
bridges on this stretch. One of them has been completed. This is the
first station on the prestigious 140 km-long Katra –Qazigund
section, which is 1728 metres above sea level. The entire alignment
from Katra to Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley has been completed.
The whole project is estimated to cost Rs.3564.78 crore.
The construction and maintenance cost
of the railways in Jammu and Kashmir is very high compared to the
plains. The construction work of the railway station at Srinagar is
now in full swing. It will be completed by March next year. The
Railways proposes to operate local trains on the Qazigund – Srinagar-
Baramulla section until the Katra – Qazigund line is completed.
The day is not far when the people in Kashmir would enjoy riding
trains.
The Constitution of India envisages full integration of all its
people on the touchstone of their oneness despite their cultural,
linguistic and religious diversities. Keeping this in views, the
Jammu – Udhampur- Katra- Qazigund- Srinagar- Baramulla rail link
will go a long way in integrating the people of Jammu and Kashmir,
the strategically important border State, into the national
mainstream.
[PIB-Feature] | 
