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.

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