5 New Rail Surveys Underway in J-K, Srinagar-Leh-Kargil Rail Line Plan Dropped

5 New Rail Surveys Underway in J-K, Srinagar-Leh-Kargil Rail Line Plan Dropped

The central government has stated that surveys of five new rail projects are underway in Jammu and Kashmir, while the existing project of the Srinagar-Leh-Kargil rail line has been dropped.

The center has not pursued the project further due to high costs and low traffic projections. Earlier, the cost of the 480-km route project was estimated to cost Rs 55,896 crore. The survey of this existing project was conducted in 2016-17. However, now the center has hinted to not proceed with this plan and dropped it in mid-flight, citing the above-mentioned reasons.

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Member of Parliament (MP) Mohmad Haneefa in the Lok Sabha asked about the status of this question, to which Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed about the project status. The concerned minister also stated that due to the feasibility concerns, the Jammu-Poonch line remains stalled yet. Further stated that the center has prioritised the Banihal-Baramulla rail line doubling project.

The minister further rejected any immediate plan for a rail link between Ganderbal in Kashmir & Kargil in Ladakh. Though the region is of strategic importance, no immediate plan is there to take it on.

There is also no immediate plan to construct the rail link from Reasi-Katra to Rajouri.

The five new rail surveys conducted in Jammu and Kashmir include Baramulla-Uri New Line (46 km), Sopore-Kupwara New Line (37 km), Anantnag-Pahalgam New Line (78 km), Avantipore-Shopian New Line (28 km), and Banihal-Baramulla Doubling (118 km).

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Dil Bar Irshad

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Dil Bar Irshad is an Indian journalist, writer, and media entrepreneur from the Marmat area of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known as the founder and Editor-in-Chief of VoM News ("Voice of Masses"), a digital news portal dedicated to highlighting public grievances and citizen issues.Career Overview• Early Career (2015–2016): He began his reporting career focusing on local public issues and citizen grievances in Jammu and Kashmir. • Regional & National Journalism: Over the years, he served as a District Correspondent for the English newspaper Khalsa Express News (2019–2020) and worked as an Urdu correspondent for Sada e Kohistan. He also reported as a J&K Correspondent for the Millennium Post. • International Reporting: In 2023, he expanded into international journalism, working as an India Correspondent for global agencies like BNN Breaking and later TrimFeed, covering diverse topics ranging from stock market updates to regional and global geopolitical developments. • Media Associations: He is an active member of the All India Media Association.Seen IN: Editor-in-Chief, VoM News India, Jammu and Kashmīr Business and Finance, Crime and Justice, Environment As seen in: VoM News, MSN, MSN India, MSN Singapore, MSN UK, Youth Ki Awaaz, Millennium Post, AgroPages, The California Courier, Hecho En California, Justice News, The Chenab Times, Niguro, Sisnoo