New Delhi, Mar 12 (KNO): The Union government on Wednesday confirmed that five new railway surveys are underway in Jammu and Kashmir, while other projects remain stalled.
Replying to a question by Member Parliament (MP) Mohmad Haneefa in the Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "The Srinagar-Kargil-Leh rail plan was dropped due to high costs and low demand, and the Jammu-Poonch line remains stalled over feasibility concerns. Also, the Banihal-Baramulla rail line doubling has been prioritized by the government."
The minister, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), clarified that there are no immediate plans to conduct a survey for a rail link between Ganderbal in Kashmir and Kargil in Ladakh, despite the strategic importance of the region.
He said the railway projects are planned and executed based on factors such as traffic projections, operational requirements and overall funding availability rather than on a district or Union Territory basis.
The minister added that a survey for the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh rail line was conducted in 2016-17. "The proposed 480-km route was estimated to cost rupees 55,896 crore. However, the project was not pursued further due to low traffic projections," he said.
Vaishnaw further informed that another railway project, the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail line, has been identified as a strategic line by the Ministry of Defence. He said the survey for this 489-km project has been completed, and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared. The estimated cost of the project stands at Rs 1,31,000 crore.
The Union government also confirmed that Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir continue to remain without railway connectivity, with no immediate plans to construct a rail line from Reasi-Katra to Rajouri on a priority basis.
Replying to another question by MP Mian Altaf Ahmad, the minister said that railway projects are sanctioned and executed based on feasibility, traffic projections and financial viability, rather than on a district or state-wise basis.
"Railway projects are approved based on factors such as last-mile connectivity, missing links, socio-economic benefits and availability of funds. Challenges such as land acquisition, forest clearances, climate conditions, and law and order situations affect the timeline of railway projects in the region," he said.
The minister said that a survey for a new railway line between Jammu and Poonch via Akhnoor and Rajouri (223 km) had been conducted, and the estimated cost of the project stood at Rs 22,771 crore. However, due to low traffic projections, the project has not moved forward, he added.
Meanwhile, five new railway surveys have been undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir which 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), Banihal-Baramulla and Doubling (118 km).
While the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) has been fully completed, connecting several districts in Jammu & Kashmir, railway connectivity to Rajouri and Poonch remains uncertain, with no clear timeline for future expansion—(KNO)