RailEnquiry

Srinagar: The move to connect train services in Kashmir with the railway network in the rest of the country may take shape within the next couple of months, with the operation of the train services between Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, and Banihal, across the Jawahar Tunnel.Though the prevailing situation has not affected work on the railway line, sources said in case of any further trouble, the work may get delayed. The excavation work of the country’s longest and Asia’s second longest tunnel, 11.17 km, was completed on October 14, 2011, and other works were expected to complete by December last year.Once operational, the railway line would shorten the road length of 35 km to only 11 km by train and could be covered in six minutes. The total length from Qazigund to Banihal is 17.5 km which includes the 11.17 km-long-tunnel.However, the connectivity to the countrywide network would take some more time as the Katra-Banihal link in the Jammu region, which has a complex geographical strata, is expected to take about five more years. The train services over a distance of 119 km between Qazigund in south Kashmir and Baramulla in the north have been providing “cheap and most comfortable” transportation facilities to over 7,000 people every day since its introduction in 2008.The train services within the Valley remained suspended since February 11 due to curfew restrictions and general strike. The services were partially resumed between Budgam, the central Kashmir station, and Qazigund in south Kashmir.