Railways Clears Jammu-Katra Line Doubling Survey

22 Jul 2025 CW Team

The Ministry of Railways has approved the final location survey for doubling the Jammu–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway line, which spans approximately 78 km. The Northern Railway will oversee the execution of this project.

Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, stated that the survey, covering a 77.96-km stretch, will cost an estimated Rs 125.9 million. He emphasised that this step lays the groundwork for the construction of a future double-track railway line.

The proposed doubling is expected to enhance convenience and comfort for pilgrims travelling to the Vaishno Devi shrine. Beyond religious tourism, the line is also projected to strengthen the region's broader economic infrastructure.

Currently, the Jammu-Katra section operates as a single line through Udhampur under the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which limits operational flexibility. This constraint hampers the addition of new services and the ability to manage high traffic during peak pilgrimage periods.

The successful commissioning of the USBRL project has integrated the Kashmir Valley into the national railway grid, increasing passenger inflows. The Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, in particular, has received a strong response from both tourists and residents. Against this backdrop, the approval for the final location survey reflects the Railway Ministry’s commitment to addressing the region’s expanding transport demands.

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