The Indian Railways
added another feather in its cap with the historic milestone of connecting Kashmir
valley with the Jammu
region. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh dedicated the
newly constructed railway line between Banihal (Jammu region)-Qazigund (Kashmir
valley) section to the nation by
flagging off the first DEMU train from
Banihal through the Pir Panjal tunnel- the longest transportation tunnel of India, from Banihal Railway station in Jammu & Kashmir today.
Chairperson, UPA, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Governor of J&K, Shri N.N. Vohra, Minister for Railways, Shri Mallikarjun
Kharge, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nagi Azad Chief Minister of J&K, Shri Omar Abdullah, and Dy. Speaker, Vidhansabha, J&K,
Shri Sartaj Madani were also present on the occasion.
Ircon International Ltd., a PSU
under the Ministry of Railways, has been the principal executing agency for
Northern Railway to execute the work of Dharam-Qazigund Section of USBRL
Project which includes Banihal-Qazigund section and Pir Panjal Tunnel.
The Kashmir Valley railway ( Qazigund-Baramulla
section) is a 119 km long modern railway line that became completely operational in October
2009. So far it is an island railway, not yet connected to the Indian Railway
network. It connects Baramula in the western part of Kashmir to Qazigund at the other end of the Valley, via Srinagar. With today’s dedication of this challenging project
to the nation, the extension of this railway line beyond the Pir Panjal Mountains in to the Jammu region has been achieved with trains
running on the new railway section of Qazigund-Banihal. The 17.7 km long rail
link paves way for the future railway connectivity of Kashmir
region with the national railway network.
On
28th December, 2012, the first trial run train was operated on this
section of Qazigund-Banihal which is 17.7 kms long, of
this 6.5 km is on cutting and embankment including bridges. This section mostly
consists of a 11.2 km long, Tunnel T-80 which pierces through the Pir Panjal
range, providing a direct rail connection between the Kashmir
Valley and Jammu region.
About 11,78,500 cubic
meters of earthwork in cutting and filling has been done. The maximum depth of
cutting on this section is 15.20 meters and maximum height of embankment is
16.70 meters. 39 bridges have also been constructed in this section which
include two major bridges, 30 minor bridges and 7 Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges. The
total expenditure of Rs. 1691.00 cr. has been incurred by the railways to
complete this section.
Tunnel T-80 has been provided the State of the Art
systems with CCTV cameras at every 62. 5 m, linear fire detection system, fire
fighting system with fire hydrants at every 125 m, emergency telephone with
communication to control room at every 250 m, fire extinguishers and fire alarm
at every 250 m, air quality monitoring system at every 500 m, escape route
signs to guide the shortest escape route in emergency at every 50 m, emergency
lighting and normal lighting and public address system. A 3.0 m wide road along
the track for rescue and maintenance purpose has been constructed with a 772.0
m long escape tunnel to provide additional escape route. Tunnel ventilation system has been provided which consists of 25 fans along the
tunnel, installed in the ceiling of tunnel in groups of 5 each.
Falling
in difficult and mountainous terrain, the State of Jammu & Kashmir has
always been a challenge to transportation providers. Other factors which
increase the difficulty in providing modes of mass transportation is that the
area is geologically unstable, prone to tremors and earthquakes, with deep
gorges alternating steep between rocky mountains. For any construction
activity, the weather is quite inclement too. Long months of incessant rains
and heavy snow can put life on hold for many. But there is a positive fall out
of this difficulty too. The residents of these areas have evolved fine
traditions in handicrafts in the periods of being home bound and have made
established themselves as the finest craftsmen in the world.
Northern
Railway has worked in these circumstances and has created the most modern
railway line in the Kashmir
Valley which provides
economical, all weather connectivity. This is something the residents
appreciate, especially when other facilities grind to a halt in deep snow.
While building this railway line, Northern Railway did not only have to cope
with the difficult terrain, geology and the weather. Since it was found to be
imperative to complete this railway line at the earliest, construction was
started simultaneously at different sites and as the stretch in the Kashmir
valley rail link was completed before the rail link which would connect it to
the remaining Indian Railway network, all rolling stock and other equipments
required for construction and running of trains was transported by road and
reassembled once it had reached there. But the result is gratifying.
On commissioning of this section,
the first rail link will be established between the Jammu Region and Kashmir Valley providing all weather
connectivity with significantly reduced travel time through the Pir Panjal
mountains. This will be an alternative connection between the two regions for
the Jawahar Tunnel too, which is often snow bound during the winter months.
With this section the distance between Banihal-Qazigund section has been
reduced to 17.7 kms by railway line instead of 35 kms long road length.
With the completion of this section the Kashmir Valley has come a step closer to being
connected to the remaining Indian Railway network, signifying the dedication
and resolution of Northern Railway in providing rail connectivity to the
farthest corners in its jurisdiction.
The Prime Minister also travelled in the train
from Banihal to Qazigund along with a group of school children. (Full text of PM’s
speech is available on the PIB website i.e. pib.nic.in)
Also on the occasion, the UPA
Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi released a book titled “Pir-Panjal Railway
Tunnel – a dream Realized” compiled by project team to commemorate the
completion of this engineering marvel which gives an insider perspective to the
challenging task of construction of Pir-Panjal Railway Tunnel through mighty
Himalayas.
Local representatives of people
also attended the function. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Vinay Mittal, Member
Engineering Railway Board, Shri Subodh
Jain. General Manager Northern Railway Shri V.K.Gupta, CMD IRCON, Shri Mohan
Tiwari were among those present on the occasion.
(Kindly note: Full text of
PM’s speech and photographs are available on the PIB website i.e. pib.nic.in)
AKS/HK/BS