USBRL reaches Kashmir, but large parts of J&K remain outside the railway map
Srinagar, Sep 8, KNT: The completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link has transformed rail connectivity with the Kashmir Valley, but the railway network in Jammu and Kashmir continues to have major gaps, with several proposed extensions still at survey or Detailed Project Report stage and some projects having failed to move beyond feasibility assessment.
The most prominent pending project is the proposed railway connectivity to the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. In August 2026, the Railway Ministry sanctioned a Final Location Survey for a 190-km Jammu/Reasi-Poonch new line, with field work taken up for preparation of a Detailed Project Report. The project has therefore not yet reached the construction stage.
The Jammu-Poonch connection has been under consideration for years. An earlier survey for a Jammu-Poonch line via Akhnoor and Rajouri assessed the project cost at around Rs 22,771 crore and recorded low traffic projections. The earlier survey therefore did not translate into construction of the line.
The Kashmir Valley also awaits additional capacity on existing routes. Insiders told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the Railway Ministry has prepared a DPR for the 118-km Qazigund-Srinagar-Budgam doubling project, but preparation of a DPR does not itself amount to project sanction or commencement of construction. The Ministry has stated that projects after DPR require consultations and approvals involving stakeholders, NITI Aayog and the Finance Ministry.
Similarly, the proposed 40-km Baramulla-Uri railway line remains at the DPR stage. The Railway Ministry has described the project as part of efforts to improve rail connectivity towards the border region, but has not announced its commissioning or construction.
Another proposed Valley connection has already been dropped. The Railway Ministry said a survey and DPR had been prepared for the 34-km Sopore-Kupwara new line, but the project was subsequently dropped after being found infeasible.
There is also an additional 78-km Jammu-Katra line under consideration. The Final Location Survey has been sanctioned and field survey taken up for preparation of a DPR, meaning the project too remains in the preparatory stage.
The 216-km Jalandhar Cantt-Jammu Tawi third-line project has also reached the DPR stage rather than construction, according to the latest Railway Ministry data.
The disparity between completed infrastructure and the projects still under preparation is also visible in railway spending figures. For 2026-27, the Railway Ministry has put Jammu and Kashmir’s annual average railway budget allocation at Rs 1,086 crore, compared with Rs 1,044 crore during 2009-14. The Ministry says ongoing projects in J&K account for Rs 522 crore in the current allocation framework.
The figures require context because major railway projects such as USBRL are accounted for separately on a project and zonal basis. The Rs 1,086-crore annual figure therefore cannot be treated as the total amount spent on all railway infrastructure in J&K during the year.
The latest Railway Ministry record consequently presents two different pictures of rail development in J&K: the USBRL has delivered an unprecedented rail connection between the Kashmir Valley and the national network, while several other strategic links remain at the survey, DPR or approval stage.
For people of areas such as Poonch, Rajouri, Kupwara and parts of the Kashmir Valley, the practical benefit of these proposed projects will depend on whether they progress beyond surveys and DPRs into sanctioned construction and eventual commissioning. [KNT]
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