Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that a Vande Bharat metro train will be operated between Jammu and Srinagar once the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) becomes fully operational, which is expected to be by December 2023 or January 2024. This important railway link will connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through the rail network.
Maintenance facility, special training academy to be set up
Speaking on the progress of work, the railway minister said the track work on the Chenab bridge has been completed and now electric work will be undertaken, besides the installation of Kavach — an anti-collision safety device.
Vaishnaw also announced the setting up of a special training academy for engineers at Jammu and a Vande Bharat Express train maintenance facility at Badgam in the Kashmir Valley.
The metro will run between Srinagar and Jammu cities, and the Vande Bharat train maintenance facility is being created at Badgam so that once the railway line becomes operational, trains will come to Srinagar.
About the Chenab Bridge
The construction of the Chenab bridge, which has a foundation equal to half the football field, was a challenging engineering feat as the terrain was a highly seismic activity-prone area, Vaishnaw said.
The arch bridge has 17 spans, the linear length of the main arch span is 460 meters and it is curvilinear.
More than 28,000 metric tonnes of steel were used for the bridge structure that is built in a highly active seismic zone.
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Northern Railway officials said the arch bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore.
The deck height of the bridge is 359 meters, while its length is 1,315 meters.
The codal life of the bridge is 120 years and the bridge can withstand a wind speed of 266 km/h, but the train can cross the bridge at the speed of 100 km/h.
A historic route
Once the Kashmir Valley is connected with the Indian railway network, the Jammu to Srinagar journey will become faster and more comfortable for passengers, Vaishnaw said, adding that the Vande Metro service will run between Srinagar and Jammu cities, in which the trains will be run at a specific frequency.
Vaishnaw also said that once the line is opened, there will be ease in the transportation of apples and other agricultural products from Jammu and Kashmir.
He also identified a few locations to explore the tourism potential at Chenab bridge.
Vaishnaw made the announcement on Sunday after travelling on the first run of a track-mounted trolley on the Chenab river's world’s highest arch bridge, which has a height of 359 meters from the Chenab riverbed. The railway minister also inspected the iconic bridge and performed pooja at the bridge before the inspection.
(Edited by : Ayushi Agarwal)
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