SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: As the entire country is waiting to connect Kashmir through railway line, the major hurdle which the northern railway is facing is in tunnel 1 near Katra.
The 3.2-km-long tunnel may take another six to seven months to get completed.
According to sources, taking a train to Kashmir valley has become a herculean task for the northern railways as they had to overcome several technical as well as geological issues in boring tunnels and laying the railway track.
“Though the biggest achievement for Konkan railways, construction agency, was to construct the 359-meter tall world’s highest single arch railway bridge over river Chenab connecting Bakkal and Kauri villages of Reasi district but the construction of Tunnel 1 near Katra is giving tough time to the construction agency,” said a source.
He added, that there was a time when engineers thought of giving up the work on the tunnel but with the use of advanced technology, boring was completed by overcoming all the hurdles.
“Now, the heading and benching work is undergoing and with all the difficulties and hurdles like cavities and other things engineers are ensuring the work is completed as soon as possible. Once the heading and benching is completed, laying of track will be done,” he said.
“It may take another six to seven months if things remain alright and no further issues explode,” he added.
The 338-km-long Jammu to Baramulla rail link will connect Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. Besides road and air connectivity, people will be able to reach Kashmir through train. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla (USBRL) project has recorded a maximum delay (255 months, or 20 years and 15 months), but that time period is insignificant considering the exceptional circumstances in the region. The specific reasons for delay in completion of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla have not been given. In February, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha during the winter session that out of the total 272 km of the project, 161 km have already been commissioned. The work on the Katra-Banihal (111 km) section has been taken up. The anticipated (revised) cost of the project is over ?37,000 crore, out of which over ?34,000 crore has already been spent. The original cost, as mentioned in the flash report, was ?2,500 crore.
“The USBRL project is, perhaps, the most difficult new railway line project undertaken in the country post-independence. The terrain passes through the young Himalayas, which are full of geological surprises and numerous problems,” he said. Over 97 km of 111 km of length in the Katra-Banihal section are tunnels, with the longest one (T49) being 12.77 km, which will be the longest transportation railway tunnel in the country. Geologists had warned the northern railways and executive agency in the beginning of main boundary thrust issue on the line which is having young mountains, presence of water and loose strata. “These mountains have continuous growth which leads to cavity at many places and at times leads to major damage to the structures including the tunnels. The construction agency has to face similar challenges on regular intervals, due to which the project is getting delayed,” the source informed. Moreover, the train service between Sangaldan and Reasi is almost ready with few smaller technical issues. “Within a month or so it is expected to start the train service between Sangaldan and Reasi which will add another feather to the cap of Konkan railways. Once the green signal is given the train service will pass through the highest railway bridge as well,” he added.