Rs 1080 crore Rail Budget allocated to J&K
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 2: Allocating approximately Rs 1086 crore to Jammu and Kashmir, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today made major announcements for the development of railway infrastructure in the Union Territory under the Union Budget 2026-27.
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Providing a state-wise breakup of expenses earmarked for railway projects from the total capital expenditure outlay, Vaishnaw, through a video conferencing, informed that Detailed Project Report (DPR) for extension of rail line from Baramulla to Uri has been prepared for approval of the project while work on survey and DPR for the proposed Jammu-Rajouri rail line is going on with full pace.
“After recent completion of major project of Jammu Kashmir (UBSRL), DPR has been prepared for extending the rail line from Baramulla to Uri and process is on for approval of the project,” he disclosed.
Pertinent to mention that with recent commissioning of 272-km Udhampur-Bramulla-Srinagar Rail Link (UBSRL), Kashmir valley has been connected with rest of India through rail network.
The Railway Minister also informed that in addition to extending rail line from Baramulla to Uri, work on survey and preparation of DPR for Jammu to Rajouri rail line is also going on with full pace. However, he did not mention the timeline for completion of the ongoing survey and DPR work.
Highlighted the historic work done in Jammu and Kashmir in 2025 with commissioning of the UBSRL Project providing an all- weather high-speed connectivity to Kashmir through Vande Bharat Trains running on the Katra-Srinagar route, Vaishnaw said that when all routes were closed during the recent snowfall, Vande Bharat kept serving the J&K people in reaching their destinations.
The Railway Minister allocated approximately Rs 1086 crore to Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 2911 crore to Himachal Pradesh, and Rs 5673 crore to Punjab in the rail budget. He said record allocations have been made for his ministry in the Budget to complete pending projects and undertake new works in all states for people’s benefit.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday had announced budgetary support of Rs 2.78 lakh crore and a total capital expenditure of Rs 2.93 lakh crore for the Railways. She also proposed seven high-speed corridors connecting major cities and a new East -West Dedicated Freight Corridor between Dankuni in West Bengal and Surat in Gujarat.
Mr Vaishnaw mentioned the seven bullet train projects and one dedicated freight corridor announced in the Budget and said these would benefit multiple states. About the proposed Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri high-speed corridors, he said these bullet train routes would connect major cities of Uttar Pradesh and create several economic opportunities.
“Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 157 stations are being redeveloped, and four pairs of Amrit Bharat trains have been made operational so far,” the Railway Minister said.
Outlining the benefits of the Mumbai-Pune and Pune-Hyderabad bullet train projects, Vaishnaw said the former would effectively make Mumbai and Pune function as one city, while the latter would bring two major IT hubs closer than ever.
“BJP-ruled states are cooperating very well with the Railways for the development of existing projects,” Vaishnaw said.
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