Srinagar and Jammu may get metro services by 2024

It is being seen as a greater move towards the development of Jammu and Kashmir after scrapping its special status.

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Jammu and Kashmir metro projects are likely to start soon
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NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): A big news is coming about the Kashmir valley. Union minister Jitendra Singh said today that the light transit metro train service in Srinagar and Jammu is expected to be ready by 2024. He said that the metro project for the two cities would cost around Rs 10,599 crore and the railway consultancy firm RITES Limited has already submitted the final detailed project reports and the metro project is likely to be developed by the year 2024. It is one of the major moves of the central government after scrapping article 370.

“Once the projects are completed, Srinagar and Jammu will become the first two non-major cities in the country where the rapid transport network will be functional”, said Mr. Singh, the Union minister for the PMO. He further told that the significance of the projects can be understood from the fact that the first train to reach Jammu and Kashmir had taken more than two decades after Independence and the first railway station came up in Jammu only in the 1970s.

But the Modi government is moving quickly to introduce the metro train projects in a short span of time and it will be cost-effective and a means of sustainable public transport, he said. Singh, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, said the light metro transit system is proposed to run 17 hours a day throughout the year in Jammu, whereas in Srinagar, it will run 17 hours daily during summers but 14 hours during winters.

The minister said the metro rail lines will have only elevated corridors as the underground tunnels were not found feasible in Jammu and Kashmir.

The metro train service in Jammu will have its first corridor from Bantalab to Bari Brahmana and in Srinagar, it will be from Indira Nagar to HMT station, he said. Mr. Singh said that the elevated metro system will not only facilitate people but also have a positive impact on the economy and the quality of life. According to the DPRs, he said, the metro coaches will be modern, lightweight and made from stainless steel and aluminium, with an air-conditioning system. Singh also said it is a matter of pride that the highest railway bridge of the world is coming up on river Chenab in Reasi district and is likely to be completed next year.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be approached for the formal inauguration of this prestigious project. He said after some initial issues the work on railway line to connect the Kashmir valley is in full swing and it is expected that by 2022, Srinagar and other parts of the valley will be connected with the rest of India directly by train

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