Srinagar/Baramulla: Ahead of resuming the train services in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Railways on Monday conducted a trial run between Srinagar and Baramulla. The train services in the region were stopped soon after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The security and railway officials were present during the trial run.
After being shut down for more than three months, the Indian Railways once again started the rail service to provide relief to the common man. The railways lost crores of rupees due to the shutdown, but due to security reasons, the rail services had to be suspended.
After the withdrawal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the railway officials felt that it was not safe to run the train on the track, so on August 5, the train running from Banihal in Jammu to Baramulla in North Kashmir was halted. But after a security review, it was started from Srinagar to Baramulla on Monday as a trial run. Railway officials called it the lifeline of the people of Kashmir and said that people should protect it themselves.
“The government had taken some measures keeping in mind the safety of the common man. For Kashmiris, the train is a lifeline. It is also a cheap medium to travel in a short time. Our trains are safe and no damage has been caused to the tracks,” said Sudhir Kumar, Area Manager of Railways.
On Sunday, Railways officers had said that if everything goes well, the train services can be restored in the Valley from November 12.
Before the trial run, the security agencies gave the green signal to restart the rail services. This step has been welcomed by the common people as rail has made their life easier. It is estimated that about 30,000 passengers–mostly students and employees–travel six days a week between Banihal and Baramulla by train.
Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh came into existence on October 31.
Bureau Report
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