USBRL PROJECT | Work between Sangaldan-Banihal nearing completion

Ramban: Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail Link (USBRL) project work vis-a-vis Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan stations under 111-km Katra-Banihal stretch in Ramban district is nearing completion.

Northern Railway authorities are conducting trial runs on recently laid tracks inside tunnels and on bridges between Banihal-Khari stations.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramban Mussarat Islam on social media platform “X” (previously called Twitter) shared the video footage of the final phase of the USBRL project, cut and cover along with the bridge, on a 5 km track between Banihal Railway Station and village Krawa.

The trial runs have been conducted on the 2.9 km long tunnel T-77, a ballastless railway track connecting Bankoot in Banihal with Chapnari (Tatnihal).

The track laying work and bridge work between Banihal Railway station and village Krawa, a 5-km length on the Khari-Banihal stretch in Banihal, were completed and test drive runs on the tracks were conducted.

Officials said that work on all the tunnels between Sangaldan and Banihal was completed and track laying, linking and other allied pending works were in progress.

They said that work was going on round the clock on this prestigious national project.

Officials said, “Northern Railway will conduct more such track trial runs in future as and when track-laying work gets completed on Banihal-Sangaldan stations.”

Sources said the train was likely to chug through Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan tracks in December. For this purpose, trial runs were being conducted

People of the area are eager to catch a glimpse of the train chugging between Banihal and Sangaldan stations

DC Ramban, Mussarat Islam, who is personally monitoring the pace and progress of various ongoing works on national projects in Ramban, said that the final phase of the USBRL project between Banihal and Katra had entered the last leg of completion in the district.

Earlier, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh had said, “The 111-long final phase of the USBRL Rail link project between Banihal-Katra has entered the last leg of completion with tunnel T-50 – the longest at 12.77 km getting ready.”