New Delhi: The USBRL (Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link), undertaken by the Indian Railways to construct a broad-gauge railway line through the Himalayas is now 90 per cent complete, the national carrier informed via its Twitter handle.
The project intends to connect the Kashmir region with the rest of the country.
“Connecting Kashmir to Kanniyakumari: Almost There!” said an official tweet by the Ministry of Railways. Updating about the progress in work, the tweet mentioned that the 162.6 km of total 163.88 km of tunnel mining under the Katra-Banihal Section is complete while 31.3 km of total 117.7 km of track laying has been accomplished.
Moreover, the construction of 21 major bridges of a total of 26 and 11 minor bridges is over.
The project was declared a National Importance Project in March 2002. It is also the biggest mountain railway project since independence. From Jammu to Baramulla, it passes through the young Himalayas, tectonic thrusts and faults.
The General Manager of Northern last year May made a statement that Kashmir will be connected with the rest of the country through the railway link by the end of 2023.
USBRL is an all-weather, cost-effective railway line. The first three phases of the project are complete. The work on the topographically challenging 111 km section between Katra and Banihal is ongoing.
The rail line has been laid on three sections of 25km from Udhampur to Katra, 18 km from Banihal to Qazigund and 118 km from Qazigund to Baramulla. Trains are operational between Baramulla-Banihal in Kashmir Valley and Jammu-Udhampur-Katra in the Jammu Region.
Union Minister of State, Dr Jitendra Singh, recently shared the latest pictures of the under-construction Anji Khad bridge under the USBRL project. The work for the rail bridge is all set for its completion latest by this year.