Kashmir Railway
Encyclopedia
The Kashmir Railway is a railway line being built in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 to connect the state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

 with the rest of the country. Officially termed the Jammu Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Railway Link (JUSBRL), the railway starts from Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...

 and, when completed, will travel for 345 kilometres (214.4 mi) to the city of Baramulla
Baramulla
Baramulla , known as Varahamula in antiquity, is a city in the Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir state in northern India...

 on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

 Valley. The route crosses major earthquake zones, and is subjected to extreme temperatures of cold and heat, as well as inhospitable terrain, making it an extremely challenging engineering project.

Forming a part of Firozpur
Firozpur
Firozpur is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India, founded by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq , a Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.The Manj Rajputs say the town was named after their chief, a Rajput of...

 division of the Northern Railway zone, the line has been under construction since 1983 by various railway companies in India. When completed, it will link the state's winter capital of Jammu with the summer capital of Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...

 and beyond. The project has had a long and chequered history but serious progress was made only after it was declared a National Project in 2002. The scheduled date of completion was August 15, 2007. However, several unforeseen complications have pushed back the final completion deadline to 2017 at the earliest so a through service from central India to Kashmir will not be possible till then.

The USBRL project is divided into four sections:
  • Leg 0 extending 53 kilometres (32.9 mi) from Jammu to Udhampur
    Udhampur
    Udhampur is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the second lardest city of Duggardesh region and the fourth largest city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It serves as the district capital and the Northern Command headquarter of the...

    , completed in April 2005.
  • Leg 1 extending 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) from Udhampur to Katra. Under construction, may open in 2013.
  • Leg 2 extending 148 kilometres (92 mi) from Katra to Qazigund. Under construction, may open in 2017.
  • Leg 3 extending 119 kilometres (73.9 mi) from Qazigund to Baramulla, completed in October 2009.

History

British era

1898: Maharaja Pratap Singh
Pratap Singh of Idar
Lieutenant-General Maharaja Sri Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur of Idar, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KIH was a career British Indian Army officer, Maharaja of the princely state of Idar and heir to Ahmednagar from 1902 to 1911, when he abdicated in favor of his adopted son.-Early Life 1845-1878:The prince...

 first explored the possibility of a railway line connecting Jammu with Srinagar. For various reasons including complications with the British government and political frictions this was put on hold.

1902: Britain proposes a rail link following the Jhelum River
Jhelum River
Jehlum River or Jhelum River , ) is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District...

 connecting Srinagar to Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...

. This was not popular as the residents of the state lived mostly in Jammu and Srinagar and interacted via the more southerly Moghul road. Politics did not favour this proposal.

1905: Britain again proposes a link between Rawalpindi and Srinagar. Maharaja Pratap Singh approves rail line between Jammu and Srinagar via Reasi
Reasi
Reasi is a town and a notified area committee, tehsil and now a district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated at the bank of River Chenab. Reasi derived its name from its old name "RASYAL".Rasyal is a caste belongs to Rajput Category. In the eighth century Reasi was called...

 through Moghul road. This audacious line was to have involved a 2'-0" (610 mm) or 2'-6" (763 mm) gauge railway climbing all the way to the Moghul road pass at 11000 feet (3,352.8 m) over the Pir Panjal Range
Pir Panjal Range
The Pir Panjal ranges lie in the Inner Himalayan region, running from east southeast to west northwest across the states of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir in India as well as Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the average elevation varies from to . The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards...

. This can be compared to the present day Banihal Tunnel at approximately 7000 feet (2,133.6 m). As planned it would have been electric-powered and would have used the mountain streams as a source of hydro-electric power.

In retrospect it was perhaps just as well that it was not built. Though it would have been spectacular, the low gauge and elevated pass would have meant it was not all weather and been constrained low speed and capacity similar to the impractical Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a narrow gauge railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways....

.

Post-independence era

1947: With partition Jammu was disconnected from the united India Rail grid and a new line from Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...

 to Jammu had to be laid. It was proposed that this be extended to Srinagar but the preliminary survey of the Pir Panjal quickly squashed the thought, especially for a poor country with higher priorities.

1983: Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 kicks off the line from Jammu to Udhampur. An optimistic schedule of five years and a budget of was set. As detailed below what happened to this line amply illustrates the wisdom of the earlier planners who had abandoned their plans when faced with reality.

1994: Railway minister declares the need for a railway line to Baramulla and the Kashmir valley. Upon further review it was revealed that this would be a 'hanging' Railway running from Qazigund to Srinagar and on to Baramulla. The line from Katra to Qazigund through the mountains still looks unattainable.

July 2002: The Vajpayee Government declares the line a National Project. This means that it will be constructed and completed irrespective of cost. The central government will fund the entire project. This is important as the Railways do not have the now estimated cost of for the entire project. By the Railways' allocation it would have taken 60 years to complete the project. A challenging deadline of August 15, 2007, Independence Day, was also set.

April 13, 2005: The Jammu-Udhampur line, 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) long, is inaugurated, 21 years and after its commencement, marking the completion of Leg 0. The line has 20 major tunnels and 158 bridges. Its longest tunnel is 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) and its highest bridge is 77 metres (252.6 ft) - the highest railway bridge in India. This is in the relatively easy Shivalik Hills.

2008: The Ministry of Railways orders cancellation of the project on the existing alignment between Katra and Qazigund, due to suspected geological instabilities. It instructs KRCL to stop all work on the section, including the Chenab Bridge
Chenab Bridge
The Chenab Bridge is an arch bridge under construction in India. It spans the Chenab River between Bakkal and Kauri, in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir...

, and terminate all contracts issued for work on the section, pending consideration of major changes in the alignment. The Railway Board constitutes a high-level committee to examine the feasibility of Leg 2 of the project and rework the alignment through the Pir Panjal Mountains, proposing to undertake a fresh survey for construction of the line on a shorter alignment.

October 11, 2008 - The first isolated section of 66 kilometres (41 mi) between Manzhama and Anantnag on Leg 3 is inaugurated, 14 months behind schedule. The train service will operate twice a day in either direction. Complications continue to plague the connection to the plains.

February 14, 2009 : The existing train service on Leg 3 is extended to Baramulla.

June 2009 : Work on the section between Katra and Qazigund resumes after the committee set up to review the alignment approves the existing one with minor changes. Additional geo-technical tests of the rock strata and changes to other portions of the alignment changes are now being reviewed.

October 28, 2009: The 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) from Anantnag to Qazigund is inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...

, marking the completion of Leg 3.

Future

Leg 1 has repeatedly missed promised opening dates, including December 2005, December 2006 and May 2009. Work on the section, which had been suspended for two years due to water logging inside a tunnel, resumed in September 2009, and the latest estimate is 2013.

Leg 2 remains uncertain, plagued by technical difficulties and disputes with contractors over the choice of alignment, and is not expected to be completed until 2017.

Infrastructure and construction

The Kashmir Railway is perhaps the most difficult new railway line project undertaken on the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

 by government of India. The terrain passes through the young Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...

, which are full of geological surprises and numerous problems. The alignment for the line presents one of the greatest railway engineering challenges ever faced, with the only contest coming from the Qingzang Railway
Qingzang railway
The Qinghai–Xizang railway, Qingzang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway , is a high-elevation railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in People's Republic of China....

 in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

, China which was completed in 2006 and crosses permanently frozen ground and climbs to more than 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft) above sea level. While the temperatures of the Kashmir Railway area are not as severe as Tibet, it does still experience extreme winters with heavy snowfalls. However, what makes the route even more complex is the requirement to pass through the Himalayan foothills and the mighty Pir Panjal range, with most peaks exceeding 15000 feet (4,572 m) in height.

The route includes many bridges, viaducts and tunnels – the railway is expected to cross a total of over 750 bridges and pass through over 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) of tunnels, the longest of which is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) in length. The greatest engineering challenges involve the crossing of the Chenab river, which involves building a 1315 metres (4,314.3 ft) bridge 359 metres (1,177.8 ft) above the river bed, and the crossing of the Anji Khad, which involves building a 657 metres (2,155.5 ft) bridge 186 metres (610.2 ft) above the river bed. The Chenab Bridge will be the highest railway structure of its kind in the world, 35 m higher than the tip of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Both bridges are to be simple span bridges. Cor-Ten
Cor-ten
Weathering steel, best-known under the trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as "Corten steel", is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rust-like appearance if exposed to the weather for several years.United...

 Steel is planned to be used to provide an environment friendly appearance and eliminate the need to paint the bridge. The design and structure is very similar to the New River Gorge Bridge
New River Gorge Bridge
The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge long over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. With an arch long, the New River Gorge Bridge was for many years the world's longest arch bridge; it is now the third...

. The project is being managed by the Konkan Railway Corporation. Completion is scheduled for 2012, four years after the first isolated section of the route was opened for local passenger services, and it requires the use of 26,000 t of steel.

All tunnels including the New Banihal Tunnel will be constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling method. Numerous challenges have been encountered while tunneling through the geologically young and unstable Shivalik mountains. In particular water ingress problems have been seen in the Udhampur to Katra section. This has required some drastic solutions using steel arches and several feet of shotcrete
Shotcrete
Shotcrete is concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface, as a construction technique....

.

Even though the line is being built through a mountainous region, a ruling gradient
Gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field that points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change....

 of 1% has been set to provide a safe, smooth and reliable journey. More importantly bankers
Bank engine
A bank engine or helper engine or pusher engine is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a grade...

 will not be required, making the journey quicker and smoother. It will be built to the Indian standard broadgauge
Indian gauge
Indian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...

 of 1676 millimetres (5.5 ft) gauge, laid on concrete sleepers with continuous welded rail and with a minimum curve radius of 676 m. Maximum line speed will be 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph). Provision for future doubling will be made on the major bridges. Additionally provisions for future electrification will be made, though the line will be operated with diesel locomotives initially, as Kashmir is an electricity scarce region at present. There will be 30 stations on the full route, served by 10–12 trains per day initially.

The Kashmir line will connect with the Indian Railways railhead at Jammu, where a 55 km access route has been built to Udhampur.

Rolling stock

Passenger services will be provided by the new aerodynamic High Power diesel multiple units, which have certain special features incorporated into them. The air-conditioned coaches have wide windows for a panoramic view, anti-skid flooring, sliding doorways, heating facilities, an attractive colour scheme and executive class reclining seats inside. The driver's cabin has a heating and defogging unit to take care of cold climatic conditions and is fitted with single lookout glass windows to give a wider view. A snow-cutting type cattle guard has been attached at the driving end of the train for clearing snow from the tracks during winter. In view of the peculiar climate of the valley, the 1,400-horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

 diesel engine for the train has been provided with a heating system for a quick and trouble-free start in the winters. A public information system with display and announcement facilities are included in the coaches which have pneumatic suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...

 for better riding comfort. There is also a compartment for physically challenged people with wider doors.

Freight rolling stock for the new route will be from the existing national fleet. Freight services conveying grain and petroleum products will run in between the 10–12 passengers services that are planned to operate daily.

Maintenance of all rolling stock and locomotives will be at the newly built Budgam workshop just north of Srinagar.

Signaling and communications

Three-aspect colour light signaling
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...

 is being installed on the route to maintain train safety. GSM-R
GSM-R
GSM-R, Global System for Mobile Communications - Railway or GSM-Railway is an international wireless communications standard for railway communication and applications. A sub-system of European Rail Traffic Management System , it is used for communication between train and railway regulation...

 equipment may be installed in the future to improve the quality of the system.

There has also been mention of the Konkan Railway Corporation's ACD (Anti-Collision Device) being supplied for equipment on the line.

Security

Security for the line has been a major concern, with the regions the line passes through continuing to face terrorist challenges. The presence of the international border with Pakistan close by aggravates these challenges. Plans for close circuit cameras at all major bridges, tunnels and railway stations have been made. Lighting is provided on all major bridges and inside tunnels. Additionally a special security detail to protect the infrastructure has been contemplated.

Project operations

  • Indian Railways
    Indian Railways
    Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

     is in charge of the Udhampur-Katra Section (25 km).
  • Konkan Railway Corporation
    Konkan Railway Corporation
    Konkan Railway Corporation is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways . It operates the Konkan Railways, a subsidiary zone of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Belapur in Navi Mumbai. The company started its full operations of trains on 26 January 1998...

     Limited is in charge of the Katra-Laole Section (90 km). This is arguably the toughest portion of the railway with over 92% of the line either inside a tunnel or on a bridge. The bridges comprise of 12 km, the tunnels of 72 km and only a minuscule part of this tortuous stretch, i.e. 6 km is on normal ground.
  • IRCON, a Public Sector railway construction company is in charge of the Laole-Baramulla Section (175 km). Another tough, but less brutal section.
  • HCC
    Hindustan Construction Company
    Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...

     has won the tender to construct both the North and South Section of the 11 km Banihal tunnel across the Pir Panjal range for approx 120 million. Work is completed.
  • AFCONS with Ultra Engineering (South Korea) will design and construct the Chenab Bridge for 130 million.
  • Gammon India
    Gammon India
    Gammon India Limited is the largest civil engineering construction company in India. Headquartered in Mumbai, it was founded in 1922 by John C...

     with Archirodon Construction (South Africa) will build the Anji Khad Bridge for 100 million.

Construction-related casualties

June 2004 — Sudhir Kumar Pundir, an IRCON Engineer and his brother Sanjay were kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in the valley.

June 2005 — Altaf Hussain, A laborer working in a Tunnel at Tathyar (HCC) was killed by a collapse. Two others were injured.

May 16, 2007 — Fancy Akther 09, daughter of Mushtaq Ahmad Wagay and Khushboo Akther 07, daughter of Mohammad Ayub Wani. Drowned in a ditch constructed by Railway Company.

Feb 14, 2008 — A Nepali labourer Tika Ram Balwari son of Tuya Narayan was killed after a boulder hit him in at Uri Varmul, presumably on the Kashmir rail project for HCC.

Apr 18, 2008 — Six labourers of a private company, engaged with the Katra-Qazigund railway line project, were killed and two others received injuries when a tipper carrying them rolled down into a deep gorge in Lower Juda Morh near Kouri in Reasi district late last night. Besides Tara Chand, others have been identified as Resham Singh and Shambhu Ram, both residents of Pattian in Reasi, Dhani Ram, Sandeep Lal and Vishno, residents of Nepal.

Mar 27, 2011 — Two workers,Abdul Rahman (34) and Jumma Baksh (24), were killed at an under-construction railway bridge over the Chenab in Reasi district today as a basket attached to a crane carrying them unhooked and fell from a height of more than 100 metres.

Project Updates

Dec 2010 — Railways complete construction of crucial tunnel in Sangaldam between the Katra-Qazigund

Feb 2011 — It was reported by an Indian news channel that there was a consensus among the top railway officials of the country that the present rail alignment of the project was not ideal.

Oct 2011 — Banihal-Qazigund railway tunnel, Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel is a railway tunnel located in Pir Panjal Range of middle Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It has been constructed by the Northern Railway, a division of Indian Railway as a part of its Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project. The boring of the tunnel was...

, the 10.96 Km long railway tunnel, passes through the Pir Panjal Range
Pir Panjal Range
The Pir Panjal ranges lie in the Inner Himalayan region, running from east southeast to west northwest across the states of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir in India as well as Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the average elevation varies from to . The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards...

 of middle Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...

 in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

. It is a part of its Udhampur
Udhampur
Udhampur is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the second lardest city of Duggardesh region and the fourth largest city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It serves as the district capital and the Northern Command headquarter of the...

 - Srinagar - Baramulla
Baramulla
Baramulla , known as Varahamula in antiquity, is a city in the Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir state in northern India...

 rail link project, opened in October 2011, India's longest and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

's second longest railway tunnel and reduced the distance between Quazigund and Banihal
Banihal
Banihal is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, India. "Banihal" means blizzard in Kashmiri language.It has an average elevation of...

 to only 11 km .

Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway line

The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

, Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal
Prem Kumar Dhumal
Prem Kumar Dhumal is an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh from March 1998 to March 2003 and has been Chief Minister again since 1 January 2008.-Electoral career:...

 asked the central Government of India to expand the Bhanupali-Bilaspur
Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
Bilaspur is a city and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India.-Geography:Bilaspur is located at . It has an average elevation of 673 metres . It is hot in summer and cold in winters. It rains mostly in July to august .It lies near the reservoir of...

- Beri railway through Mandi-Manali to Leh. This would serve two main purposes, to increase tourism in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

 and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...

, as well as increase security allowing transportation into the area quicker. Later, the Union Railway Ministry of India after examining the feasibility report for the proposed Bilaspur-Manali-Leh Railway line had forwarded it to the Planning Commission of India for its approval.

External links

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