Srinagar, December 30:Come spring and, for the first time, a railway train will chug across the breathtaking terrain in Kashmir. Work on 40 km of the120-km stretch of the Qazigund-Baramulla railway line has been completed and come March 2007, the first train will start plying around 20 km on either side of Srinagar, from Pulwama to Budgam.

Although this will be just a 30-minute journey, at 100 km/hr, it will cut the present road travel time by a third. “This is only the first phase but we want to start the train as it will be a big morale-booster to both the people and the thousands of workers who have toiled on the railway link day and night,’’ said R V Anand, General Manager, Ircon International Limited, a Government of India undertaking which is constructing the railway link in the Valley.

The first coach has arrived in Srinagar and four more will follow. “They will be here as soon as the highway becomes feasible for transportation of the coaches,’’ said Anand. The stations at Pulwama (Kakpura), Nowgam in Srinagar and Budgam are almost ready with only interiors to be done.

The second stretch, the 45-km line from Anantnag to Pulwama, will be operational by August 2007. Railway officials are hopeful that the entire 120 km will be operational by the end of 2007.

“There are some impediments like land acquisition and compensation but that will soon be worked out,’’ Anand said.

Out of Rs 3000 crore earmarked for this stretch, Rs 600 crore has been set aside for land compensation.

“This is going to be the local train network for the valley and can be helpful for daily passengers like office goers, students and even tourists,’’ Anand said.

But this is just the first link in the connectivity chain. Goods and passengers from outside the valley can be ferried only after the entire 340-km railway line joins the Kashmir valley to the Indian Railways Network — a Rs 10,000-crore project.

Out of this, Ircon has been working on the 167-km line — 120 from Qazigund to Baramulla and 47 from Loale to Qazigund. While the stretch from Qazigund to Baramulla passes through fairly level terrain, the construction of the Loale-Qazigund section is the most challenging as it passes through thick forests, deep gorges and several numerous rivers. “We will construct 350 km of roads to reach these places,’’ said Anand.

Add to this the series of tunnels, viaducts and bridges, the longest tunnel is 11 km. A team of Austrian tunneling experts is working on the project. “We are hopeful that by the end of 2008, Kashmir should be connected to rest of the world,’’ said Anand.

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