Intra-Kashmir train service resumes after 11 months

After remaining suspended for 11 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, intra-Kashmir train services resumed on Monday.

The Railways resumed train operations on the Banihal-Baramulla section with two services initially. “The first train departed from Baramulla at 9.10 am while the second train left Banihal at 11.25 am,” said Chief Area Manager, Northern Railways, Srinagar, Saqib Yousuf.

Commuters have been asked to avoid unnecessary travel and maintain social distance inside the trains.

On a normal day, at least 15 pairs of the train run regularly from Baramulla in north Kashmir to Banihal in Jammu region (138 km) and carry almost 30,000 passengers, including students and employees.

The rail services were suspended on March 19 last year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The suspension of the train service had put commuters to immense hardships. Thousands of employees and students from north and south Kashmir, who have to travel to Srinagar daily, were the worst affected by the suspension of train service.

“It is a welcome decision by the Railway authorities and will enhance ease of movement and provide a big boost to the tourism sector,” said Waseem, a businessman.

Pertinently, Banihal-Baramulla train services resumed on November 11, 2019, after remaining suspended for around 100 days after the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 that year.

In 2016, after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, the services remained suspended for six months.

The government of India plans to connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari through train service and work on the project has been going on for years. However, it has been delayed due to several reasons which include hilly terrain where the train has to pass.

Last week, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), which would connect Kashmir with the rest of the country, would be completed by next year.