Now Reading: Rail surveys for three key J&K projects underway, Vaishnaw tells House
-
01
Rail surveys for three key J&K projects underway, Vaishnaw tells House
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The minister's response in Rajya Sabha offers a mixed picture: DPRs are being prepared but timelines remain open-ended. The usual rhetoric of 'transforming connectivity' should be weighed against the fact that the USBRL project, which J&K residents were promised would shorten travel time, was launched years ago and only the four station upgrades show concrete progress. The real test will be whether the Jalandhar-Jammu third line DPR clears NITI Aayog and Finance Ministry approvals within two years.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
