Rail to chug from Baramulla to Banihal next April

Islamabad, Jan 6 : The Northern Railways announced that Baramulla would be connected with Banihal by train in April next.

“Banihal-Qazigund railway tunnel which is the largest in India is complete and by April next the train will chug from Banihal to Baramulla,” Northern Railway Board Member, AP Mishra told media persons on the sidelines of the train trial run on Qazigund-Banihal stretch.

He said besides train on Udhampur-Katra stretch will also be able to ply by April 2013 as the work is nearing completion.

“The valley will be fully connected to the rest of the country by 2017 as the work on Udhampur-Banihal stretch is going on in full gear,” Mishra added.

The highlight of the Qazigund-Banihal link is the 11.21 km tunnel – the longest railway tunnel in India, which has reduced the distance between the two towns by 50 per cent.

The tunnel is 8.40 metres wide with a height of 7.39 metres. There is a provision of a three-metre wide road along the length of the tunnel for the purpose of maintenance and emergency relief.

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