The latest anticipated cost of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla new rail line project has been now pegged at Rs 19,565 crore. It is expected to be complete by December 2017. The latest information available says of the Rs 19,565 crore, Rs 7,917 crore has been incurred till March 2012.
The rail link would connect the higher reaches of Kashmir with the rest of the country. The project, which has been divided into three legs, has seen the commissioning of the 119-km-long railway line between Qazigund and Baramulla.
However, it is the other parts of the 345-km-long railway line between Udhampur and Baramulla, which are causing a delay in the project mainly due to difficult terrain and inhospitable weather.
The railway authorities say 95 per cent work on the 25-km stretch between Udhampur and Katra has been completed and the work on the rest of the 5-km-long stretch is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
The progress on the Katra-Qazigund stretch is the slowest. There has been only 13 per cent progress on the 148-km-long stretch. While the Qazigund-Banihal section in Kashmir is expected to be complete between 2012 and 2013, the remaining portion is expected to be complete by December 2017.
While the project was initially expected to the complete by 2007, work on the 70-km-long Katra-Dharama stretch, which is part of the 148-km-long Katra-Qazigund section, remained suspended for more than a year due to geological problems during construction.
An Expert Committee was appointed to examine various issues, including alternative alignments.
Reports say the world’s highest rail bridge being constructed over the Chenab in Reasi district, which is part of the Udhampur-Baramulla railway line, is expected to be ready by December 2015.
RAIL CONNECTIVITY
The 345-km-long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link is expected to be complete by December 2017
The rail link will connect the higher reaches of Kashmir with the rest of the country
Of the total amount for the project, Rs 7,917 crore has been incurred till March 2012
The 119-km-long railway line between Qazigund and Baramulla has been commissioned
The project has been delayed mainly due to difficult terrain and inhospitable weather
95 per cent work on the 25-km stretch between Udhampur and Katra has been completed
The progress on the Katra-Qazigund stretch is the slowest. There has been only 13 per cent progress on the 148-km-long stretch.
