Round The Year, Train Journey In Kashmir Has Seasonal Charms

After heavy snowfall-induced disruptions in Kashmir, Northern Railways has resumed delayed train services on the Banihal-Baramulla and Banihal-Sangaldan routes on Sunday taking all precautionary measures.

Srinagar: Northern Railways resumed train services on Sunday after heavy spells of snow disrupted it for a day on Saturday in the Valley. The railways is maintaining additional caution this time to avert any snow-induced snag.

The early morning train in the Banihal-Baramulla rote was delayed by an hour from its scheduled departure at 7 am. Over five trains ply in the Baramulla-Sangaldan route daily. The train service is availed by thousands of passengers who commute daily for jobs, work and other employment between districts and towns.

According to officials, due to restrictions on speed, trains are running behind their scheduled time. The 135-kilometre Banihal-Baramulla track is covered by a thick layer of snow while the accumulation of snow in the Banihal-Sangaldan route is comparatively thinner.

A snow-cutter removes snow accumulated on tracks (ETV Bharat)

To clear snow off the tracks, the railways deploys men and machinery so that trains don't slip off the track or the line does not come off its track due to heavy moisture and softening of the track surface. Last year, one of the trains had skidded off the track in Mazhama, injuring many passengers. To avoid similar mishaps, the railways now acts with more caution.

"Our priority during snowfall is to clear the track at the joints as the derailment is caused mainly by accumulation of snow on them. For thinner layers of snow, we employ trackmen to clear it off manually and use snow-cutters to clear layers of three feet at high altitudes like Qazigund and Banihal," one of the maintenance engineers told ETV Bharat.

The Valley received heavy snowfall from Friday afternoon till Saturday morning which shrouded it in a white blanket. Although snowfall brought relief from sub-zero temperatures and bitter cold after a four-month dry spell, it halted train and flight services for a day, while disrupting road transport.

Railways workers during track clearance (ETV Bharat)

Once the train departs Sangaldan station in Ramban district passengers will be welcomed by picturesque paddy fields, agricultural land, small tunnels and culverts as the serpentine track passes over streams and roads up to the Baramulla. The vast fields offer a mesmerising view to the passengers when they look through the train windows towards the blanket of snow. Each season provides the train with a unique look when it is observed beyond a moving object.

In winter, snowfall gives a white touch and makes it a mesmerising moving object to be captured in reels and pictures. In spring and summer, the greenery marks out the trains, painted in red, and the yellow spread of falling leaves makes it stand out during autumn.

The Baramulla-Budgam route was flagged off by late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in 2008 and the Banihal-Qazigund line was inaugurated in 2011. This January, the service will be connected to Delhi.

Thick layer of snow on tracks (ETV Bharat)

The trail runs on the mountainous track between Katra and Sangaldan are underway. The stretch has the bridge on Chenab in Reasi, taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the wired Anji Khud bridge and several tunnels inclusive of the recently completed T3.

Launched in 2005, the over 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) took almost 20 years to complete and connect Kashmir with Jammu and New Delhi.