Jammu–Baramulla line

Since 1994 various Railway Companies in INDIA have been engaged in the construction of one of the most spectacular railway lines in the world. When completed this line will link the city of Jammu in the Northern plains of India with city of Srinagar in the Himalayan Valleys and beyond. This project has had a long and chequered history and has only recently started to make serious progress after it was declared a National Priority Project in 2001. Planned date of completion was August 15 2007, but several unforseen complications has pushed back the final completion deadline to sometime in 2009.

History

1898: Maharaja Pratap Singh First explored the possibility of a railway line connecting Jammu with Srinagar. For various reasons including complications with the British government and political frictions this is put on hold.

1902: British propose a rail link following the Jhelum river connecting Srinagar to Rawalpindi. This was not popular as the residents of the state lived mostly in Jammu and Srinagar and interacted via the more southerly Moghul road. Politics did not favor this proposal.

1905: British again propose link from Rawalpindi and Srinagar. Maharaja Pratap Singh approves rail line between Jammu and Srinagar via Reasi through Moghul road. Proposal is sanctioned by the British. This audacious line was to have involved a 2'-0" or 2'-6" Gauge Railway climbing all the way to the Moghul road pass at 11,000+ feet over the Pir Panjal Range! This can be compared to the present day Banihal Tunnel at 7,000 or so feet. As planned it would have been electric and would have used the mountain streams for power.

In retrospect it was perhaps just as well that it was not built. Though it would have been spectacular, the the low gauge and high pass would have meant it was not all weather and would have had low speed and capacity.

1947: With partition Jammu was disconnected from the Rail grid and a new line from Pathankot had to be laid. It was proposed that this be extended Srinagar but the prelimnary survey of the Pir Panjal quickly squashed the thought. Especially for a poor country with many other priorities.

1983: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi lays foundation stone for a line from Jammu to Udhampur. An optimistic time line of 5 years and a budget of 50 Crores was set. What happened to this line amply illustrates the wisdom of the earlier planners who had abandoned their plans when faced with reality.

1994: Railway Minister Jaffer Sharief declares a Railway line to Baramulla and the Kashmir valley. Upon further review it was revealed that this would be a 'hanging' Railway running from Qazigund to Srinagar to Baramulla. The line from Katra to Qazigund through the mountains still looks unattainable.

2002: July Vajpayee Government declares this line a National Project. This means that it will be constructed and completed irrespective of cost. The central government would fund till completion. This is important as the Railways does not have the now estimated cost of 6,000 Crores for the entire project. By the Railways allocation it would have taken 60 years to complete the project.

The project is now set at a war like priority, with money not an issue. A suitably challenging deadline of August 15, 2007 Independence day was also set.

2005: April 13 the Jammu to Udhampur line, all of 50 kilometers is inaugrated, 21 years and 515 Crores after its inaugration.

(Under Construction)