Srinagar, Jan 19: A 18-coach train successfully completed its maiden trial run between Katra and Srinagar railway stations on Sunday. It is the first successful trial run on the newly completed line to connect Kashmir with the rest of the railway network, officials said.
A Northern Railways official said that the train, comprising 18 air-conditioned coaches, two luggage carriers, and two engines, departed Katra railway station at around 8 a.m. and reached its destination in Srinagar within four hours under the supervision of railway authorities.
“This marked the first trial run on the newly completed section and it was conducted just six days after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Circle), Dinesh Chand Deshwal, approved the opening of the Broad Gauge (BG) line,” he said.
The official said that the authorization, detailed in a seven-page letter to the Ministry of Railways and other authorities, followed an inspection conducted on January 7 and 8.
“During his inspection, Deshwal assessed the Katra-Reasi section by motor trolley and on foot, followed by a high-speed trial across the entire Katra-Banihal stretch. He subsequently approved the section for passenger and freight operations, permitting a maximum speed of 85 km/h on the main line and 15 km/h on turnouts,” he said.
Another official said that successful trial run of the 22-coach train between Katra and Srinagar is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of everyone involved in this monumental project.
“Connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country by rail has been a dream for decades, and we are now on the verge of making it a reality,” he said.
The official said overcoming this unique challenging terrain required innovation, resilience, and collaboration at every step. Today’s trial run is a proud moment for our entire team and a tribute to years of hard work, he added.
The work on the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section was completed in June 2024, leaving only the final 17 km stretch between Reasi and Katra. This section was finished in December 2024, as announced by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
On January 4, an electric train trial was successfully conducted on the Katra-Banihal section. Over the past month, six trial runs have been carried out across different parts of the track, including the critical Anji Khad and Chenab bridges.
The spokesman said that the completion of the Banihal-Katra section has been an engineering marvel in which 97 KMs of length is tunnel and 7 KMs of distance is covered by 4 main bridges,” he said.
The toughest challenge in the project was to give foundation support to the World’s highest arch bridge (i.e 359 m) on Chenab River. It was achieved by a rock bolting method using 30,000 tonnes of steel.
The other main challenge was to build India’s first cable-stayed bridge on the Anji River. The two other bridges on the section are Reasi Bridge and Bakkal Bridges.
The spokesman said while executing the project, Railways engineers innovated the technique of Himalayan tunnelling over conventional tunnelling method to overcome safety concerns and give strength to main as well as 67 KMs of escape tunnels. The tunnels have a completely ballast-less track as is used on the metro tracks with no joints.
