Electric train chugs in 1st trial run on Katra-Banihal section

Ahead of the final inspection by commissioner of railways safety (CRS) on January 7 and 8, the chief administrative officer of the Udhampur-Baramulla-Srinagar Rail Link (USBRL) project and senior officials on Saturday conducted the first successful trial run of an electric train from Katra to Banihal.

“Chief administrative officer of USBRL project Sandeep Gupta and senior officials conducted a trial run of an electric train from Katra to Banihal. The train crossed the first cable rail bridge over Anji river. The train started from Jammu and subsequently covered Katra-Banihal stretch,” said a railways official.

The length of track from Katra to Banihal is 111 km and the section includes 27 tunnels and 37 bridges. The longest rail tunnel in the country, T-49, which is 12.75 km in length, falls on this section.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the first Vande Bharat train from Delhi to Srinagar later in January.

The work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project started in 2005-06. The 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla rail section in Kashmir was inaugurated in October 2009 and the 18-km Banihal-Qazigund and 25-km Udhampur-Katra sections were commissioned in June 2013 and July 2014, respectively.

In February 2024, the trial run of an electric train was successfully conducted on 40-km track between Banihal and Sangaldan.

The railway line to Kashmir has 38 tunnels.

The line has 927 bridges. It includes the world’s highest railway arch bridge (359 metre) over the Chenab River in Reasi.