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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
 Posted - 02/11/2009 : 18:09:23
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Train ready, roads to stations not
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=11_2_2009&ItemID=50&cat=1
Srinagar, Feb 10: The government is all set to inaugurate the train service from Budgam to Varmul on February 14, but none of the approach roads to 13 railway stations has been macadamized so far.
Presently the train passes through nine railway stations from Budgam to Islamabad. These include Budgam, Nowgam, Pampore, Kakapora, Awantipora, Panzgam, Bijbehara, Islamabad, and incorrectly named “Rajwansheer” stations. The approach roads to these railway stations are muddy as they have not been properly macadamized since the train service was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh last year. From February 14 the train would traverse through four stations- Pattan, Sopur,Hamray, and Varmul. But the approach roads to these stations, not more than two kilometers in length, are ye to be developed.
“It is unfortunate that the government is creating unnecessary hype of the train. The service is okay, but where are the approach roads. In no part of the world you’ll see dilapidated roads to railway stations,” said Muhammad Rafiq a retired government employee.
Sources said the R&B department has not macadamised the roads even though the Northern Railways allotted them the land after acquiring it from villagers.
“The R and B have failed to meet deadlines of construction of several roads,” the sources said.
But Muhammad Shafi Mir, the chief engineer of R&B said, “The land was handed over to us very late by the Northern Railways. So we should not be blamed for the mess. Our men are trying their level best to construct proper roads to railway stations. Despite winter, when we can not macadamize the roads, we have been able to make all of them motorable for public convenience.”
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2009 : 18:16:28
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Saturday, February 14, 2009 : 0400 Hrs
Train between Baramulla, Anantnag to be flagged off today
Srinagar (PTI): People in Kashmir will have a reason to smile on Saturday, as a train connecting Baramulla with South Kashmir will be flagged off by the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Gandhi will flag off the specially designed 1,400 HP engine train from Mazhom railway station in Budgam district on Saturday, an official spokesman said here on Friday. The train will run on Saturday between Baramulla and Mazhom from 12.30 p.m and 1.40 p.m, he said, adding its regular service will commence from February 15.
With the completion of the rail link up to Baramulla, people can now travel from Baramulla to Anantnag, a distance of 101 kms, he said. The stoppages will be Sopore, Hamre, Pattan, Mazhom, Budgam, Srinagar, Pampore, Kakapora, Awantipora, Panjgam, Bijbehara and Anantnag stations, he added.
According to railway officials, remaining part of the rail link from Anantnag to Qazigund will be commissioned within four months.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2009 : 06:32:22
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PM congratulates Railways, Civil Aviation
Sriangar, Feb 14 : Congratulating Indian Railways and Civil Aviation for initiating rail service between north and south Kashmir and starting international flights from Srinagar airport, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this bound to catalyse the economic growth of the valley.
In a message, which was read out by Union Minister of State in Prime Minister's office Prithviraj Chavan here this afternoon, Dr Singh said he was happy to know that the Airports Authority of India had completed the New Integrated Terminal Building at Srinagar International Airport and Air India would begin operating its first international flight from Srinagar.
''I am also delighted to learn that the India Railways have met the challenge of connecting Anantnag to Baramulla by rail. This is bound to catalyse economic growth in the Kashmir valley, with the availability of cheaper and more reliable transport.
I congratulate the Indian Railways on this achievement.
The prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir and its development is very important to us. Infrastructure is crucial for such development.
These two projects, being inaugurated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandi will go a long way in integrating Jammu and Kashmir with the country and the world, thus facilitating its economic progress.
I offer my felicitations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on this occasion and wish them all the best,'' the message said.
--- UNI
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2009 : 06:52:18
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Express India Financial Express Indian Express Screen Biz Publications Loksatta Kashmir Live Express Cricket US Edition
Kashmir News
Latest Kashmir News
Express Print Edition
14, 2009 at 1654 Print Email
People in Kashmir had another reason to smile this Valentine's Day, as Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the second phase of railway line in the Valley.
Decrepit approach roads dampen Kashmir rail inauguration
People in Kashmir had another reason to smile this Valentine's Day, as UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the second phase of railway line in the Valley on Saturday.
But the residents will be able to travel from Baramulla to Anantnag, a distance of 101 km, on February 15.
The Baramulla-Anantnag train will pass through 13 railway stations: Budgam, Nowgam, Pampore, Kakapora, Awantipora, Panzgam, Bijbehara, Anatnag, Mazgam, Sopore, Hamray, Pattan and Baramulla.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had flagged off Kashmir's first train on October 11.
However, the people are angry with the state Government, as approach roads to all the railway stations are in a dilapidated condition and have not been macadamized.
"It is really bad that when the dream rail has reached the border district Baramulla, the state Government has failed to build good approach roads to 13 stations," said Hamid Ahmed, a resident of south Kashmir's Anatnag district.
"The approach roads to all the railway stations are muddy which speaks volumes about the seriousness of the government officials when it comes to prestigious projects."
Sources said the approach roads to the railway stations were to be macadamized by the state Government's Roads and Building (R&B) department. But the department was working at a snail's pace.
"Despite winter, our department worked to make the roads motorable," said R&B Commissioner Secretary Mehboob Iqbal.
"We cannot make the road metallic during the winter. But all the approach roads to railway stations will be macadamized before June."
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2009 : 01:07:47
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Sunday, February 15, 2009 : 1055 Hrs
Rail link to Kashmir Valley may have to be realigned
Jammu (IANS): The proposed 70-km rail link between Katra in the Jammu region and Qazigund in Kashmir Valley may have to be realigned because of geological obstacles, pushing the project cost upwards.
Work on the Katra-Qazigund track, part of the 290-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project, was stopped last November when developers encountered geological obstacles.
According to a railway official who requested anonymity, seepage and caving in of tunnels were posing severe challenges on the Katra-Qazigund link. "The re-alignment will cost Rs.2,000 crore (Rs.20 billion) extra," he told IANS.
"About 100 km of approach roads to the construction of track, bridges and tunnels is ready. Now, the re-alignment of the track, if required, will definitely lead to losses, cost escalation and delays in the project," the official told IANS here.
The USBRL project was slated to be completed by August 2007 on an investment of Rs.110 billion. However, geological obstacles and engineering challenges have delayed the project and pushed up the total cost, officials said.
Now the cost is likely to cross Rs.300 billion and in all likelihood the project will not be completed by 2020.
A 30-member team consisting of a parliamentary panel and railway experts recently visited Jammu and Kashmir to assess the situation.
The Konkan Railway and state-run IRCON India International are executing the project with the help of Swiss and German consultants. The line starts from Udhampur, 55 km north of Jammu, and goes to Baramulla in the north-western edge of the Kashmir valley.
Over 100 km of track in the valley has almost been completed. "This project throws up many challenges of inhospitable mountainous terrain. We expect to build over 750 bridges and 100 km of tunnels. The longest tunnel is about 11 km long," the official said.
"The greatest engineering challenges involve the crossing of the Chenab river, which requires building a 1,315-metre-long bridge, and the crossing of the Anji Khad, which involves building a 657-metre-long bridge," he said.
"The Chenab bridge will be the highest railway structure of its kind in the world, 35 metres higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris," the official added.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2009 : 07:08:05
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Enthusiasm, jubilation marks maiden rail run from Bla, Topic http://etalaat.com/english/News/front-page/4591.html
Baramulla, February 14 –Jubilation, excitement and enthusiasm among thousands of people including men, women and children present at the Railway Station,Baramulla marked the departure of the first train from Baramulla to Mazhom today. The people since early morning had thronged the railway station to enjoy the historic moment of their life to see the movement of train on the railway track.
Present on the occasion, among others, were Deputy Commissioner Baramulla,senior officers of Railways, civil and police administration.
The plying of rail from Baramulla to Mazhom and will make travel from Baramulla to Srinagar and vice versa comfortable and cheaper. Abdul Ahad, an elderly person of the nearby village, said "A long cherished dream has really come true today for the people of district Baramulla". The people's response for starting train on the 35 km long Baramulla-Mazhom track was gratifying.
As the train left the Baramulla station, people in hundreds waved their hands in jubilation.
At halting stations of Sopore, Hamare, Pattan and Mazhom, people in hundreds were standing and waving hands to the passengers of the first train running through their stations.
Hundreds of school children, media persons and officers of the district administration also enjoyed the free run in the train.
Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:25 am
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2009 : 02:49:31
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Change of guard may revive Kashmir rail project
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/change-of-guard-may-revive-kashmir-rail-.../442948/
New Delhi: There is new hope for revival of the Kashmir Railway project with the elevation of Rakesh Chopra, who was once the Chief Administrative Officer of the project, to the top post in the Engineering Directorate of the Ministry of Railways. Work on the project has been hanging fire since work was halted on the
Katra-Qazigund section last September.
Satish Kumar Vij, who raised the red flag on the existing alignment citing geological and security reasons in his capacity as Member Engineering in the Railways Ministry, retired on March 31.
“Everything is feasible,” said Chopra, who replaces Vij as Member
Engineering, when asked whether it was feasible to construct the 70-kilometer Katra-Qazigund section as originally planned. An IIT-Delhi graduate, Chopra has worked extensively on the Kashmir Railway project, first during his stint with the Northern Railways and subsequently as
Additional Member (Civil Engineering) in the Railway Board.
Vij, however, stuck to his earlier stance which opposed the current alignment and suggested constructing the line inside tunnels at a steeper gradient. “It is a project of high national importance and should be made in a manner that works. We need to make a line which will survive. Won’t it be unfortunate if the line has to be closed often?” he had earlier said.
The Railways has already invested close to Rs 750 crore on the Katra-Qazigund section, the completion of which would allow running a direct train to the Kashmir valley. Currently, a standalone railway section between Qazigund and Baramulla is operational in the Valley.
Meanwhile, the Railways Ministry is still awaiting the report of the Expert Committee set up to suggest the future course of action for the section.
Sources said the Committee, headed by former Railway Board Chairman M Ravindra and comprising Austrian expert John Golser, has been asked to submit a final report by May 31.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2009 : 06:41:01
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Anantnag-Barammula rail link to be completed soon:
http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/551528/National/1/20/1
New Delhi, April 17
Work on the Anantnag- Baramulla stretch of the ambitious Kashmir rail link project has progressed smoothly and it would be completed soon, Northern Railway General Manager Vivek Sahai said today.
Addressing the 54th Railway Week celebration of the railway zone, Sahai said as the rail link project is progressing smoothly and expressed confidence that train connection between Delhi and Srinagar would soon become a reality.
"The remaining 18 km of the Anantnag- Baramulla stretch would be completed soon," Sahai said.
Highlighting achievements of the northern zone during the last one year, he said, the zone has made good progress in all departments and consistently
maintained its prominence in the country&aposs railway network.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had flagged off the first train in the Valley last October.
The upcoming Kashmir rail link project would benefit four major district towns in the state -- Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag and Baramulla.
The entire stretch in the Valley from Kazikund to Baramulla is of 119 km.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2009 : 02:58:50
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India to build rail line to Ladakh T
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/India-to-build-rail-line-to-Ladakh/articleshow/4450628.cms
26 Apr 2009, 1111 hrs IST
NEW DELHI: The ambitious and strategically crucial project to link
mountain-locked Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country by train has moved a step closer to fructification with the Railways finalising the feasibility report in this regard.
The first rail link is proposed to be between Leh and Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh and six passenger trains and nine goods trains are planned on the 498 km-long section.
"The feasibility report of Leh-Bilaspur rail link project is almost ready and it will be submitted to Railway Ministry shortly for scrutiny. After the scrutiny, the report would be sent to the Planning Commission before being sent to Parliament for final approval," said a senior Railway Ministry official involved
with the feasibility study.
The project is strategically crucial as it is part of India's efforts to improve infrastructure in the border region considering that China has already built a rail link to Tibet.
China has also improved connectivity with Pakistan via the Karakoram highway which runs close to the Indian border.
The proposed Leh rail project came up for discussion at the Army Commanders' Conference here recently in the context of improving supply lines along the border like China has done.
According to the study, the Leh-Bilaspur project, which is estimated to cost about Rs 22,000 crore, 6,000 passengers are expected to travel daily in the section, once the line is operational.
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irse
Forum Admin
India
553 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2009 : 01:01:23
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KASHMIR: RAIL NETWORK
Bogey Rolls Out
The Jammu-Kashmir rail link gets a final fillip ......
Amba Batra Bakshi
| e-mail | one page format | feedback: send |
Riding Rails
* The J&K rail project, linking Jammu with Kashmir Valley, halted in 2008, will restart
* Concerns over safety of Chenab bridge, highest in the world, stopped work
* The Banihal Pass Tunnel, longest in Indian rail, was considered for realignment
* The tunnel link to be completed in July. Official deadline for entire project is 2012. But it may take longer.
***
The ambitious, 292-km Jammu and Kashmir Railway project is back on track. It was halted last year with concerns over the safety of the bridge over the Chenab river and trouble with the terrain, resulting in a rethink on alignment options. But the new projection of the railway ministry is that an essential element of the rail link between Jammu and Kashmir will be in place by this July, with the completion of the Banihal Pass Tunnel.
An internal committee set up last year by the ministry to look into the problems before the project and to discuss realignment options is to submit its report on May 31. But the feedback indicates it has given the green signal to the beleaguered project. "We have looked into all the concerns. There was a doubt about whether the bridge could withstand the pressure and altitude. These worries have been resolved and we are proceeding. No changes to the alignment have been made. Very minor changes have been introduced for the Chenab Bridge," Sree Prakash, member (traffic), railway ministry, told Outlook.
According to Prakash, 7 km of the 11-km Banihal Pass Tunnel through the Pir Panjal range is done. "By July this year, we'll do the tunnel. We'll finish the Udhampur-to-Katra stretch by 2011. From Katra to Banihal is another 120 km, which will take us 5-6 years more after that." The 11 km tunnel from Banihal, which falls in the Jammu region, to Lower Munda in the Kashmir Valley is being constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling method, at an estimated cost of Rs 2,400 crore.
The J&K railway project, taken up at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore, comprises three sections: Udhampur-Katra, Katra-Qazigund and Qazigund-Baramulla. Northern Railways is laying the 25-km Udhampur-Katra stretch and Konkan Railways is constructing the 148-km Katra-Qazigund stretch, which includes the Chenab bridge and the Banihal Pass Tunnelthe longest in the Indian rail network. Construction company IRCON is in charge of the 119 km from Qazigund to Baramulla, of which only the last Qazigund-Anantnag stretch remains.
The Katra-Qazigund section is said to be the toughest project undertaken by the railways. Tunnels and bridges abound on the stretch through punishing terrain. The Chenab bridge is 1.3 km long and has the third largest arch span in the world. At 1,178 feet, it will be the highest bridge in the world once completed.
The project, regarded as one of the most formidable in the world in terms of execution as it deals with earthquake-prone, conflict-mired terrain and other geological difficulties, ground to a halt when mid-way through the construction of the Chenab bridge doubts arose about whether the structure would hold. The project, under construction since 1994, was given the status of a national project in 2002 under the Vajpayee government. The initial deadline was for 2009. Various delays pushed it to 2012.
However, some officials say the deadline could be pushed further. "With a new minister in Mamata Banerjee, the project will have to be presented to her and then taken forward," says a senior rail ministry official. There is also talk of building a rail link to Ladakh. While no detailed project report has been submitted, the idea is being pitched as a project for the new government.
irse |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2009 : 21:37:55
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Committee gives nod for restarting work on Katra-Qazigund line
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2009/06/24111223/Committee-gives-nod-for-restar.html
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 AT 11:06 AM
NEW DELHI: Ten months after the Railway Ministry suspended the construction work on the Katra-Qazigund section of the ambitious Kashmir rail link project, an expert committee has given its green signal to restart the work.
The committee in its recent report submitted to the ministry also gave a favourable opinion for the resumption of the work on the world's highest bridge
on the Chenab river linking the Kashmir valley with rest of the country.
However, a senior Railway Board official said the ministry "is yet to take a decision on the report".
Work was suspended on the 70-km stretch in Katra-Qazigund section as the proposed alignment was found to be too problematic.
The seven-member expert committee headed by former Railway Board Chairman M Ravindra was constituted last December to suggest possible new alignment in the
section after the suspension of the work.
"We have taken a pause to reappraise the alignment including the proposed Chenab bridge. This has been done to avoid wastage of money and resources on the
project," then Railway Board Member (Engineering) S K Vij had said.
"In any case very little progress has been done since the commencement of the work in the last four and half years," Vij had maintained. The committee
submitted its report after examining the problems in the area.
"The committee has suggested not to abandon the work carried out in the existing alignment. It has also suggested certain modifications in the alignment to
continue the work further," said the official.
As far as the mega arch Chenab bridge is concerned, the official said, "the report is in favour of resuming the work at some locations".
The 70-km stretch between Katra and Dharam in the Katra-Qazigund segment is the most difficult terrain of the Rs 11,000-crore project, comprising steep slopes intersected by a number of rivers.
Besides geological challenges, climatic conditions are also harsh in the area.
Currently train services are operational between the 101-km-long Baramulla and Anantnag section in the valley.
"The Anantnag-Qazigund section is expected to be operational by July end and .with this the 119-km-long Baramulla-Qazigund section will be operational," said
the official.
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irse
Forum Admin
India
553 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2009 : 03:55:49
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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/derailed/485078/1
Posted: Sunday , Jul 05, 2009 at 2319 hrs IST
It was flaunted as the most strategic railway line ever planned on the Indian Railways network. Seven years after work began on the 148-km-long Katra-Qazigund section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project, Indian Railways now finds itself in a mess that could delay the project by another 10 to 15 years and send costs shooting.
Having already spent close to Rs 750 crore on this section, the Railways only have 10 per cent results to show. And a move to reconsider a new alignment for this section has brought out in the open the manner in which this national project is being dealt with by the Railways Ministry.
Even as a standalone 100-odd kilometre stretch in the Kashmir Valleybetween Qazigund and Baramullagot its first ever train last year, it is only the completion of the Katra-Qazigund section that will connect this island section to the rest of the country.
India had pitched the project as its answer to Tibet Rail but it would do well to remember Chinas track record: it took five years and one day to complete the 1,142-km long railway track between Golmund and Lhasa before flagging off the Qinghai-Tibet railway in July 2006.
Meanwhile, from an initial cost of Rs 3,000 crore, the project cost of the Katra-Qazigund line has already touched Rs 10,000 crore and theres still no knowing when the train will arrive.
The faultlines
The first spanner in the works came in July 2008 when then Railway Board Member (Engineering) Satish Kumar Vij ordered suspension of all works on a 70-km portion on the Katra-Qazigund section. Work on the main access roads continued. That was the first time the Railways Ministry admitted it was exploring a realignment on the route.
Vij, a 1970 batch officer of the Indian Railways Service of Engineers (IRSE), cited the poor work progress on the section, mainly resulting out of the fragile Himalayan ecology, as the reason behind the rethink. He was candid enough to admit that the ministry had rushed into the project under pressure without the required planning and hence, corrections were needed.
The alignment crosses three major thrust zones and two fault lines at oblique angles, besides running almost along them for about 40 km length. For much of the length, the alignment runs close towards the face of the hills, crossing a series of khads that would require tall bridges and crossing ridges of the rugged mountain slopes. A number of tunnels are to be built at shallow depth and underneath water channels. Scope for landslides is large, endangering bridges. Some unstable tunnel face slopes have collapsed already. The original envisaged period of construction was over more than a year ago and progress is 10 per cent, Vij wrote to the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.
By then, the Railways had already invested Rs 750 crore on this section and had awarded contracts worth Rs 1,000 crore. The mere thought of a realignment entailed the possibility of abandoning works worth Rs 400 crore on the stretch. A possibility that was sufficient to send shivers down many a spine in Rail Bhavan, the ministrys headquarters in New Delhi.
But even within the ministry there was talk that the Railways was willing to abandon work worth a few hundred crores since the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line project, after being declared a national project in 2002, was being funded from the Consolidated Fund of India and not by the Railways Ministry. So the Ministry was assured that funding would never be a problem for this project and was not worried if money already spent went down the drain.
Seven weeks later, on September 9, 2008, Vij went a step further and ordered the termination of all contracts between kilometres 30 and 52 on the section. This move put on hold the construction of the Chenab Bridgealready publicised as Indias grand attempt to construct the worlds tallest bridge at a height of 359 metre from the riverbed.
Having already pumped in close to Rs 150 crore to construct this mega-bridge, Railways had failed to show tangible results given the geological challenges thrown up by the terrain. Putting a full stop on the construction of this bridge, Vij then cleared a new location two kilometres upstream for the bridge.
But the proposed new location brought with it another realisation. Offering a higher bed level, this new location would have brought down the bridges height by a good 120-150 meters from the riverbed. That would have meant burying the grand plan to construct the worlds highest bridge.
The alternative plan
Chief Engineer Alok Verma, who had worked on the J&K project from 2004 to 2006, was, in fact, the first to raise the red flag over the original alignment, questioning its safety and stability. Drawing lessons from railway lines built on mountains the world over, Verma proposed several new alignments and backed the one with a gradient of 1 in 40, which means that the alignment gains a height of one metre after every 40 metres it traverses on the ground. The original alignment was being constructed on a 1 in 100 gradient. Recommending against using a serpentine alignment along the major geographical faultlines, Verma suggested that major faultlines should be crossed at right angles
To back his argument, Verma came out with a detailed report. The 1-in-40 gradient would have brought down the route length from 126 km to 68 km, the number of tunnels would come down from 64 to eight while the number of bridges would come down drasticallyfrom 94 to seven. The number of railway stations on this proposed alignment, too, would come down from 12 to seven.
Verma argued that this approach not only reduced the vulnerability of the line to landslides, it also reduced the route length significantly and would allow for running of passenger trains at faster speeds.
The bureaucratic tangle
Vijs move to review the alignment was not well-received in Rail Bhavan corridors. Northern Railway, the nodal zonal railway in charge of the project, ignored most of his suggestions and many senior officials in the Railway Board disagreed with them. In fact, in his 16-page note to Lalu, written days before he retired, Vij mentioned the reluctance shown by rail PSUs IRCON, KRCL and even some of my fellow Board members to even consider the proposal of change in alignment. The then Railway Board Chairman Kalyan Coomar Jena, too, had expressed clear reservations against abandoning the original alignment in an internal communication.
Despite getting increasingly isolated, Vij, nevertheless, stood his ground. The bureaucratic machinery figured a way to deal with the uncomfortable position Vij had put the ministry in. Realising he only had a few months left for retirement, the authorities reached an off-the-record understanding that status quo would be maintained till Vijs retirement. Vij retired from service on March 31 this year. In less than a month, Chief Engineer Alok Verma was transferred from the project. The two dissenting voices had gone.
Meanwhile, IRSE officer Rakesh Chopra succeeded Vij as Member, Engineering, in the Railway Ministry. Having worked as the Chief Administrative Officer of the J&K project a few years ago, Chopras elevation to the top engineering post in the Indian Railways renewed hopes that the project would be revived as per the original plan. Chopra, a respected officer in Railway circles, now finds himself dealing with the mess that the project has landed in.
The expert committee
In August 2008, a month after Vij suspended work on the Katra-Banihal section, he ordered the setting up of a high level expert committee to review the present and proposed alignments. The committee was to be headed by former member, Engineering, V.K. Agnihotri. Curiously, the decision remained on paper till December 2008. And when the committee was finally constituted in December, former Railway Board Chairman M. Ravindra had replaced Agnihotri as chairman. Further, another former member, Engineering, R.R. Jaruhar found his way into the committee.
The delay in setting up the committee, changing its chairman, and induction of another member raised several eyebrows. Mandated to study and comment on the existing and proposed revised alignments of Katra-Qazigund section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project with a view of constructability, stability and survivability and submit its report in 30 days, the committee took almost six months to do so.
Days before the expert committee was to submit its report, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chief E. Sreedharan wrote a strong-worded letter to M. Ravindra. Right from 2002 onwards, when Railways decided to take up the Rail Link to Srinagar, I was opposing the present contour alignment and had suggested that a direct route through long tunnels, cutting across fault zones should be adopted, reducing drastically the overall length. This view was also shared by the Konkan Railway Corporation. By adopting a straight alignment with long tunnels, not only can the total length of tunneling be brought down, the number of bridges can be reduced and the total haulage length also considerably reduced. This would, however, necessitate a ruling gradient of 1:40, which I do not think is formidable from operation and safety point of view if electric traction and compressed air braking are adopted, Sreedharan wrote.
The DMRC chief did not stop at that. He said that in the last seven years, work on the present alignment could only show a 10 per cent progress and at this rate, Sreedharan said, the project would take another 20 years, during which the cost would go up four to five times. The resultant alignment will not be stable and the high bridges would be highly vulnerable from a security point of view, he wrote. If a shorter route with long tunnels is adopted, there is a chance of this project getting completed in the next 6 to 7 years, he said. Sreedharan even mentioned that he had recommended a Special Purpose Vehicle on the lines of DMRC with 50:50 share holding pattern between the Indian Railways and J&K government to expedite this project. The project has to be insulated from the day-to-day interference from the Northern Railway and the Railway Ministry, he wrote.
Submitting its report in June this year, the Ravindra Committee is learnt to have accepted the Swiss consultants recommendation to realign 93 km out of 126 on the Katra-Banihal section. But despite doing so, it is learnt to have allowed Railways to retain Chenab Bridge, with a rider that necessary tests and studies are completed first.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2009 : 08:21:24
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Work in progress on longest tunnel of rail network in J-K
July 12th, 2009 - 7:39 pm ICT by ANI -
Banihal (Jammu and Kashmir), July 12 (ANI): Construction of the longest tunnel in the Indian Railways network is proceeding at a rapid pace in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of several topographical odds.
Considered as an engineering marvel, the tunnel is expected to be completed by 2012 and would connect the valley to other parts of the country.
The tunnel is being constructed with the most advanced technology, known as New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), and would pass through the mountain range of Pir Panjal.
The mining of the tunnel running from Qazigund to Banihal will be completed in 2010. And after that we will take one and a half year more to complete its finishing and other things, said R K Gupta, Divisional Railway Manager of Firozpur Division of Northern Railway.
We will try that the work on the tunnel is complete and rail is operational for traffic by the end of 2011, he added.
The construction of the 11 kilometers long stretch had begun in 2006 and working against numerous odds, such as difficult terrain and unpredictable weather, engineers and other specialised technicians of Railways hope to complete the work on time.
Besides the most advanced ventilation and drainage systems, the tunnel will also have a service road alongside the railway track for emergency and routine maintenance purposes. (ANI)
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irse
Forum Admin
India
553 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2009 : 03:23:28
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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/New-target-for-Banihal-rail-line--2017/488501/
Posted: Monday , Jul 13, 2009 at 0121 hrs
Banihal (J&K):
The railway line that will finally connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country is late by another eight years. In limbo for almost a year after Railways suspended works and started mulling a re-alignment, the 70-odd kilometre long Katra-Banihal section on the 148-km Katra-Qazigund route will not be ready before 2016-17, a good 15 years after work first began.
This is the latest date that the Northern Railways has fixed for completing works on the Katra-Banihal section. Sanctioned in 2002, the Katra-Qazigund section was originally targetted for completion by August 15, 2007. Commissioning this rail line will finally allow a direct train to the Kashmir Valley. Currently, a 100-odd km standalone section is operational between Qazigund and Baramulla.
Work on this section was suspended in July 2008 following a realisation that the geology of the area was not allowing the project to progress as planned. Seven years since work commenced, the Railways only had 10 per cent results to show on this section.
irse |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2009 : 19:13:34
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Rail link clears roadblocks to J&K development
Sameer Arshad, TNN 16 July 2009, 04:05am IST
BANIHAL: The Indian Railways may be under fire for rushing through the high-profile tracks connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country without proper surveys, but the project has come as a blessing for the people here.
Indeed, it has radically changed the lives of around 40,000 people along the 150km stretch between the Pir Panjal range and Reasi by constructing roads and building infrastructure for the first time since Independence. Pir Panjal is at a height of 13,500 feet.
Northern Railways chief administrative officer R K Gupta said the railways have connected 60 hamlets in the area with the mainland by constructing around 260km of roads. Before this the people here hadnt even seen a vehicle, he said. They used to trek to far off places for medicines and other basic needs.
The area where roads have been built is between Reasi and Bakal along the Chenab.
The roads on both sides of Chenab were constructed to take men and material to project sites. On Bakal side, weve also constructed a 500 m tunnel that has cut distance between Reasi and Bakal by 12 km, said Gupta, adding that buses have started plying in the area.
A local resident, Mohammad Din, said the people of the region were amazed by these developments.
We now have mobile phones and access to hospitals and schools thanks to the roads, he said. Another resident Mohammad Taskeen said the project has been a boon for business and also changed their social life. Earlier, people used to marry within Reasi, but now were been finding relations in distant places like Ramban and Batote, he said.
The connectivity has provided farmers with markets for their agricultural produce in Jammu and Srinagar. People have set up shops and bought vehicles, said Taskeen, and added, We also have access to medical facilities at the district headquarters and on either side of the Banihal pass.
We have helped build a school in Sangaldan, said Gupta, adding that the railways are operating another school in the area from their building. Well construct the building once the state government gives us the land, he said. The project has generated direct employment for one person from 75% households that lost land to the project. The railways will maintain these roads even after the project is over.
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Jammu-Kashmir project
