Title - Soon, trains to chug till Katra Nod for opening of 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra section

Jammu:The much-awaited project of the rail connectivity to Katra - the base camp of cave shrine of Goddess Vaishno Devi in Reasi district - is set to be a reality now as the Ferozpur division of the Northern Railway has given its approval to the opening of 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra section.The Northern Railway, however, is yet to announce the date for making the Udhampur-Katra section operational for passenger trains as it awaits the final clearance from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), which will conduct the inspection after the trial run on the section before throwing it open for passenger trains.“The Ferozpur division of the Northern Railway has given its approval for opening of the Udhampur-Katra section as the railway track is finally ready for the movement of passenger trains. In this regard, the Ferozpur division wrote a letter to the authorities of all stations falling under the division on August 19, asking them to make suitable arrangements in accordance with the decision,” an official source said. Sources said there would be three stations — Udhampur, Chak Rakhwal in Udhampur district and Shri Vaishno Devi Katra on the Udhampur-Katra rail link. “The Chak Rakhwal station has been set up 9.3 km away from the Udhampur station.,” a source said.N C Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozpur Division, when contacted, said the final clearance to the project would be given by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.“The construction of tunnels has been completed. The authorities are likely to make the rail track operational by October,” an official said.

On track

Udhampur-Katra section will have 11-km of tunnelling passage, nine major bridges, 29 minor bridges and 10 rail under-bridges. The tallest bridge on the section is 85 metres and the longest tunnel is 3.15 km.