To extend the rail connectivity of the existing Srinagar-Baramulla section, a survey for Sopore to Kupwara (34 km) New Line has been sanctioned and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared, the government informed the Parliament on Friday.
“However, the project has been dropped because it was found to be infeasible. To further improve rail connectivity, in the Border region, the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of projects – Qazigund-Srinagar-Budgam doubling (118 km) and Baramulla to Uri new line (40 km) – have also been prepared,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
After the preparation of DPR, sanctioning of the project requires consultation with various stake-holders including state governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project of total length 272 Km has been recently commissioned. It covers the districts of Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam and Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir.
The project has made substantial socio-economic contributions to the region, with employment generation being a significant aspect of its impact. The project has generated more than 5 Cr. man-days of employment.
Another crucial facet of the USBRL Project’s socio-economic development efforts has been the construction of over 215 km of approach roads, which include construction of a tunnel and 320 small bridges. This road network has helped the local population in improvement of their connectivity with other areas and also improvement in socio-economic states.
With the all-weather, reliable and comfortable rail connectivity of the valley portion with the rest of the Indian Railway network, tourism will get a big boost.