8 electrified trains to run up to Banihal
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Feb 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off the newly electric train on the Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan rail link at an impressive function from Jammu.
The Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train will chug between Sangaldan Station and Baramulla Station in the Kashmir valley.
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The PM also dedicated the 48 kilometer new rail line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan. The commissioning of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section is significant as it features the usage of Ballast Less Track (BLT) all along the route providing a better riding experience to the passengers.
Additional General Manager (AGM) IRCON, Abid Shah, told Excelsior that beginning from Baramulla, the electric train will cross Srinagar and go up to Sangaldan.
“The train comprises eight coaches, just like any other normal train running in Jammu and Kashmir. The route will add another 50 kilometres to the existing stretch, which will end in Sangaldan,” he said.
“Furthermore, Jammu will also get connected by another 50 kilometres, which will also happen soon,” he said.
Shah said that the tourism and industrial sectors will benefit from this because goods trains will now run, ensuring better transportation for commodities like trains and easing tourist movement. “This train runs entirely on electricity,” he said.
It is a type of railway track infrastructure in which the traditional elastic combination of ties/sleepers and ballast is replaced by a rigid construction of concrete or asphalt. In comparison, BLT have highly consistent track geometry, a longer life span, and a reduced need for maintenance.
Besides, India’s longest transportation tunnel of 12.77 km lies in this portion between Khari-Sumber. The rail projects will improve connectivity, ensure environmental sustainability, and boost the overall economic development of the region.
As per the railway authorities, the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan route has been built at Rs 15,863 crore. Coming to the detail, the route encompasses 16 bridges, out of which 11 are major ones and one road overbridge.
Over 90 percent of it is in tunnels, with 11 tunnels making up 43.37 kilometers. The project will connect remote areas of Ramban district.
Sanctioned in 1994-95, the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link (USBRL) project has a Rs 37,012 crore budget, against which, expenditure of Rs 26,786 crore has been incurred up to March 2022.
The world’s highest railway arc bridge over the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) also comes under the crucial link from the Katra to the Banihal section of USBRL.
“All safety measures have been taken inside the tunnel to meet emergency situations. An escape tunnel has been constructed parallel to T-50 to evacuate passengers in case of any emergency,” an official said.
“At every 375 metres, a connecting passage between the escape tunnel and T-50 has been made so that the passengers can be brought to the escape tunnel and then, carried to their desired destinations in vehicles,” he added.
The official said that in order to tackle a fire incident, water pipes have been laid on both sides of the tunnel with an opening valve provided at every 375 metres so that water can be sprayed on a train from both sides to douse the flames.
“Escape tunnels have been created for other bigger tunnels too,” he said.
According to NR officials, the opening up of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section has brought them a step closer to achieving the dream of running a train from the Kasmir valley in the north to Kanyakumari on the southern tip of the country.
“Earlier, eight diesel trains (four each from one side) were operating between Baramulla and Banihal. Today, Prime Minister Modi not only inaugurated the extension of the Banihal route to Sangaldan via Khari and Samber, but also flagged off the first electrified trains on the whole route from Baramulla to Sangaldan,” the official said.
Now, eight electrified trains have started running between Baramulla and Banihal and four of those have been extended to Sangaldan.
“The four other trains will also be extended up to Sangaldan after a couple of months,” the official added.
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