JAMMU: Indian Railways authorities are likely to extend its operations on the Banihal-Baramulla route after a successful trial run on the 8.6 km long Banihal-Khari route.
Officials told that the railway authorities had its maidens trials on 8.6 km long railway tunnel T-74, which connects Banihal Railway Station with Khari Railway Station in Ramban district 111-km Katra-Banihal stretch of the ambitious Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
Officials said a train run with proto-type trains of the route was commenced on August 26 under the supervision of technical teams, which recorded the feasibility of running an actual train.
A Northern Railways officer informed that train service between Banihal and Khari Railway Stations on the Katra-Banihal line is anticipated to start shortly after all track and Railway Station Khari construction work was finished and a trial was also successful.
Officials added that authorities would extend the Baramulla –Banihal trains up to Khari, after a final inspection of Khari Station.
Mussarat Islam, the deputy commissioner for Ramban, who is keeping an eye on the National Projects’ ongoing work in the district, said that USBRL has made significant progress there.
General Manager Northern Railway Shoubhan Chowdary visited Sangaldan and Banihal earlier in July along with other senior personnel to assess the status of the continuing construction on the Banihal-Katra segment of the USBRL Project. He also examined the Khari-Banihal region. The team of skilled professionals accomplished this significant accomplishment despite difficulties during construction, including shear zone, perched aquifer, highly jointed rock mass, rock issues of squeezing, and excessive infiltration of water, the railroads reported.
In addition to engineers and employees, organisations in the area also engaged members of the local community for a variety of construction-related tasks—(KNO)
