Overview
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on December 5 that surveys are complete and the Detailed Project Report is prepared for the Kashmir expansion package.
- The plan comprises a 46 km Baramulla–Uri new line and 118 km of doubling between Banihal and Baramulla, totaling 164 km.
- Next steps require consultations with Jammu and Kashmir authorities and appraisals by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Finance, with no start date announced.
- The initiative follows this year's commissioning of the 272 km Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link, which connected the valley to the national network and features the Chenab rail bridge.
- Current services on the corridor include two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar and multiple DEMU/MEMU pairs within the valley.