Reasi: A train to the Kashmir valley through the Shivalik and Pir Panjal mountain ranges is more than a century-old ambitious plan that is set to turn into reality on Friday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off a Vande Bharat train from Katra to Kashmir.
Modi will also inaugurate the Chenab bridge, which will be the world’s highest railway arch bridge.
“What was once a vision proposed in the 19th century by Dogra maharaja Pratap Singh is now transforming into one of the most significant infrastructure achievements in independent India’s history,” a senior railway official said.
Vikramaditya Singh, grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh and son of former Sadr-e-Riyasat Karan Singh, said he feels proud that the Dogra ruler’s plan conceived over 130 years ago has finally materialised.
“The railway line project to the Kashmir Valley was first envisaged and drawn up during Maharaja Pratap Singh’s rule. It is a matter of great pride not only for the people of Jammu & Kashmir but for the entire nation that this dream will be realised by our prime minister,” Singh, who has been a legislator in Jammu and Kashmir, said.
The Dogra ruler had commissioned British engineers to survey the rugged terrain for a railway route to Kashmir, an ambitious project that remained unrealised for over a century.
He appointed three British engineers to prepare and execute detailed reports. However, two of the three reports prepared in 11 years between 1898 and 1909 were rejected.
According to special documents from the Jammu and Kashmir archives department, the idea of a rail link to Kashmir was first proposed on March 1, 1892 by the Maharaja. Subsequently, in June 1898, British engineering firm S R Scott Stratten and Co was engaged to conduct surveys and execute the project.
The first report, submitted by D A Adam, recommended an electric railway between Jammu and Kashmir regions, featuring steam locomotives on a narrow two-feet-six-inch gauge line. This proposal was rejected due to the challenging elevation levels.
Another proposal, submitted in 1902 by W J Weightman, suggested a railway line connecting Kashmir from Abbottabad (now in Pakistan) along the Jhelum river. This, too, was turned down.
The third proposal, by Wild Blood, recommended a railway alignment along the Chenab river through the Reasi area. This report was approved.
Later, plans for powering electric trains and establishing power stations near Udhampur, Ramsoo, and Banihal were also examined but ultimately rejected.
Following this, British engineer Col D E Bourel was tasked with submitting a detailed report on local coal reserves. Additionally, a report was commissioned from T D La Touche, the then deputy superintendent of the Geological Survey of India, on the Sangarmarg and Mehowgala coal mines.
In December 1923, S R Scott Stratten and Co was re-engaged to implement the coal extraction project. However, the death of Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1925 and the growing Indian independence movement led to the project being shelved permanently, the documents said.
The idea was revived nearly six decades later, when the then prime minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar railway line in 1983. At the time, the project was estimated to cost Rs 50 crore and was expected to be completed in five years, officials said.
However, in 13 years, only 11 km of the line could be constructed, which comprised 19 tunnels and 11 bridges – at a cost of Rs 300 crore, they said.
It was followed by the broader Udhampur-Katra-Baramulla railway project, estimated at Rs 2,500 crore, which saw its foundation stones laid by prime ministers H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral in 1996 and 1997 at Udhampur, Qazigund, and Baramulla.
Construction began in 1997 but faced repeated delays due to challenging geological, topographical, and weather conditions, significantly inflating the cost to over Rs 43,800 crore as of now.
Recognising the strategic importance of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL), it was declared a national project in 2002, the officials said.
Out of the 272 km stretch, 209 km has already been commissioned in phases including Qazigund-Baramulla in 2009, Banihal-Qazigund in 2013, Udhampur-Katra in 2014, and Banihal-Sangaldan in 2023. The final stretch connecting Katra to Sangaldan was completed in February 2024, they said.
The engineering marvel includes 38 tunnels and 927 bridges along the Kashmir rail project. The highlight is the Chenab bridge, standing 359 metres above the riverbed which is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower making it the world’s highest railway arch bridge, they said.
“The Kashmir train project, once just a royal vision, now stands as a symbol of national integration and engineering excellence”, an official said.
To support construction in the rugged, militancy-affected terrain, more than 215 km of approach roads were built, many in areas previously accessible only by foot or boat.
This improved infrastructure has transformed the lives of approximately 1.5 lakh people in 70 remote villages such as Dugga, Surukot, Sawalkot, Khari, and Hingni. These areas have seen the emergence of marketplaces, eateries, and repair shops, significantly boosting local livelihoods, the officials said.
