# Rail surveys for three key J&K projects underway, Vaishnaw tells House 2026-08-07T15:49:21+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Rajya Sabha on Friday that surveys have begun for three major railway projects in Jammu & Kashmir. The detailed project report for the Jalandhar Cantonment-Jammu Tawi third line (216 km) is ready. Field surveys are underway for the Jammu-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra line (78 km) and the Jammu/Reasi-Poonch new line (190 km). Vaishnaw said timelines cannot be fixed as consultation with states and approvals from NITI Aayog and the Finance Ministry are needed. The minister said the 272 km USBRL project has cut travel time between Srinagar and Katra by up to three hours and boosted trade in Kashmiri apples, dry fruits and handicrafts. Northern Railway has been allocated Rs 7,944 crore over the last five financial years, with Rs 5,622 crore spent up to June 2026. Four J&K stations are being upgraded under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals, Jammu & Kashmir, railway projects, USBRL Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rail-surveys-for-three-key-jk-projects-underway-vaishnaw-tells-house/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rail-surveys-for-three-key-jk-projects-underway-vaishnaw-tells-house/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.