Kashmir Railway Project: Development of a Construction Project

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The idea of bringing organized transport to the Kashmir Valley was over a century old. In 1898, Pratap Singh became the first person to explore the possibility of a railway line linking Jammu with Srinagar. However, the idea could not be put into operation because of various reasons including problems with the then British government and political rifts. Four years later, in 1902, the British Government proposed a railway link between Srinagar and Rawalpindi along the Jhelum River. However, this idea too was discarded as the local residents of the region preferred the Moghul road to a railway line. Politics also played a part in scuttling the project.

In 1905, the British Government again proposed a railway link between Rawalpindi and Srinagar. The idea was supported by Maharaja Pratap Singh as it also connected Jammu and Srinagar via Reasi through the Moghul road. The authorities decided that the line should have a 2'-0" (610 mm) or 2'-6" (763 mm) gauge railway running alongside the Moghul road, and crossing the Pir Panjal Range at 11,000 feet (3,400 m). It was planned that the railway would run on hydro-electric power using the mountain streams as the power source.

In retrospect, some experts noted that it was perhaps better that the railway link had not been built at that time. Though it would have been stunning and impressive, the low gauge railway and the high elevation could not have coped with the extreme changes in weather, a regular feature of that region. Also, the link would have had to face the constraints of low speed and capacity, as was the case with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway , and this would make the effort redundant, they said.

When India was partitioned in 1947, Jammu became disconnected from the united India Rail grid and a new line from Pathankot to Jammu had to be laid. It was also suggested that the line could be extended to Srinagar. However, after a preliminary survey of the Pir Panjal Range, the idea was quickly dismissed on the grounds that India Rail had higher priorities at that point of time...

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