RAMBAN: The second round of the statutory inspection of the recently completed 14.869 km track between Banihal and Khari section along the much-discussed Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was carried out on Wednesday by Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS), Dinesh Chand Deshwal. The Khari Railway Station is located in this J&K district and is part of the 111 km remaining in the USBRL project, which when completed will provide a rail link connecting Kashmir with the rest of India in the upcoming months. The station is situated between Banihal and Katra. The people who live in the isolated, picturesque area were happy when the Northern Railways successfully ran the first trial run of an electric train from Banihal Railway Station to Khari Railway Station on December 6 of last year.According to sources, the prospects of commissioning this section to connect Khari with the Kashmir valley by train have improved following the second round of the mandatory inspection by CRS Deshwal for the opening of the Banihal-Khari track. The USBRL Chief Administrative Officer, the construction officers and other relevant officials accompanied the CRS during the inspection. The CRS first led a tram inspection of the track from Banihal to Khari and then took a special train back to Banihal from Khari. In addition to other infrastructure, the CRS and his team examined tunnels, viaducts, etc. at Railway Station Khari. In the late afternoon, a high-speed train consisting of five bogies was also tested on the recently laid track, travelling back and forth from Banihal to Khari. According to sources, the train schedule will be made public following CRS’s submission of the report. There are four small and major bridges along the track that runs between Banihal and Khari, most of which are tunnels. Speaking with reporters at Banihal, CRS Deshwal stated that the inspection was necessary before extending the train service to Khari and that the infrastructure was ready for commissioning. “We are finishing this (the inspection) as a process and verifying passenger safety before resuming train operations.The completion of the Government’s testing and commissioning guidelines is ongoing,” he insisted. It is important to note that of the 272 km total length of the USBRL project, 161 km were completed in phases. The first phase, which included the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section, was completed in October 2009. Subsequently, the 18 km Banihal-Qazigund section was completed in June 2013, and the 25 km Udhampur-Katra section was completed in July 2014. Beginning in 1997, the project is the most difficult railway infrastructure project being worked on since independence. Due to significant cost increases, the project has missed multiple deadlines.
