Despite delays Udhampur-Katra railways at its final stage

After a series of delay, the work on the 25-km-long railway tracks between Udhampur and Katra sections is in its final stage, said Division Railway Manager(DRM), N C Goel.

The Katra line was expected to be operational by the end of August last year as work was going on full throttle. The date was further extended to October last year.

"Laying work on 18 km long track between Kajikund and Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir is already complete while the laying work on Udhampur-Katra section is in its final stage," Goel said.

While DMUs were already plying from Banihal to Baramula, he said that 42-kms-long track between Fazlika and Abohar had been laid.

"The track was electrified till Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. The work for rail connectivity till Banihal was going on," he said.

"However, the electrification of the remaining portion of the track from Udhampur to Baramula was an ambitious project, involving thousands of crores of rupees and it will take quiet a long time," he added.

The revenue from goods trains freight had also registered a 10-12 per cent increase this year in the Division, he claimed.

He disclosed that number of passengers travelling by trains in the Division had dipped by 15-20 per cent this year.

Goel maintained that though the number of passengers kept fluctuating normally, yet they were conducting study to know the reasons of its decrease this year.

Claiming that trains were running with punctuality, providing full facilities to passengers, Goel said that the speed of Firozpur-Ludhiana Express was increased from 75 km per hour to 95 km per hour.

"Other trains are running at a maximum speed of 110 kms per hour", he claimed.

The DRM also said that he will look into the possibility of proceeding legally against those who caused inconvenience to passengers by blocking trains and tracks under the rail roko programmes.