Overview
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha that DPRs are ready for the Qazigund–Srinagar–Budgam line doubling (118 km) and the Baramulla–Uri new line (40 km).
- The Sopore–Kupwara new line (34 km) reached the DPR stage but was dropped after being assessed as infeasible.
- A separate proposal for an Avantipore (Kakapora)–Shopian link (28 km) was also found infeasible and has been shelved following its survey.
- Sanctioning any new work requires stakeholder consultations, including with Jammu & Kashmir’s government, plus appraisals by NITI Aayog and the Finance Ministry, so no fixed timelines are set.
- The 272 km Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link is now operational and credited with over 5 crore man-days of employment, more than 215 km of approach roads, a tunnel, and about 320 small bridges.