Srinagar: The long-awaited maiden direct train to Kashmir will see further delay as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Jammu has been postponed "due to adverse weather forecast", said a senior railway official on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister was expected to flag off the first direct Vande Bharat train from Katra to Srinagar on April 19. Chief Area Manager (CAM) Kashmir Saqib Yousuf Yatoo confirmed to ETV Bharat the postponement of the PM’s visit without citing the new dates for the inauguration.
"Due to the adverse weather forecast, the inauguration program of USBRL is postponed for a few days. The next date will be informed when decided," Railway Board, Executive Director (I&P) Dilip Kumar said.
According to the IMD forecast, an intense Western Disturbance is likely to affect the Western Himalayan Region from April 16 to 20 with peak intensity amid isolated heavy falls on April 18 and 19.
Spread over 270 kilometres, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is awaiting formal inauguration for the rail link. In the run-up to Modi’s scheduled visit, preparations were underway with mock drills and a trial run of the Vande Bharat carried out.
The PM was expected to arrive at Udhampur from where he was scheduled to fly to Chenab Railway Bridge world’s tallest railway bridge. In January, the Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS) in a seven-page authorisation document gave the nod to commercial train operations on the Katra-Reasi corridor with certain conditions.
The entire rail project is executed in four phases comprising Udhampur-Katra (completed in July 2014), Banihal-Qazigund (completed in June 2013), Qazigund-Baramulla (in phases by 2009), and Katra-Banihal, which is the most formidable leg of the project.
The 161-kilometre stretch has been commissioned, but the 111-kilometre-long Banihal-Katra corridor, falling in seismic zone 4, presented multiple challenges as it winds through rugged Himalayan mountains and an extensive riverine system with deep gorges.
The trains, according to authorisation cleared by the Commissioner of Railway Safety Northern Circle New Delhi, Dinesh Chand Deshwal, will operate at a speed of up to 85 km/h on the main line with turnout speed restricted to 15 km/h.
During the day, the J&K Police carried out a high-security huddle to review security preparedness ahead of the PM visit. Kashmir Inspector General of Police VK Birdi had directed for a heightened vigil given potential threats, and officers to strengthen intelligence networks and secure vulnerable points and maintain effective area domination.
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