After remaining suspended for over four months due to ongoing unrest in the Valley, the rail service connecting north and south parts of Kashmir resumed partially on Thursday, officials said. The full operations are expected to start within the next 10 days, they said.
The rail service resumed from Budgam to Srinagar Railway stations after completion of necessary restoration work on damaged infrastructure and tracks, the officials said. They said the service was resumed along the 11.5 km axis after a trial run on Wednesday. "Two trains were scheduled to run on the route today, one in the morning and another in the evening," they said, adding the passenger turnout was very low but is expected to pick up in the coming days.
The Railway authorities are working on a plan to resume normal operations along the 120-km track between Banihal in south and Baramulla in north Kashmir within next 10 days, the officials said, adding restoration work on the damaged infrastructure and tracks are in full swing and expected to be completed shortly.
Northern railways suspended the service as a precautionary measure on July 9 following widespread protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir a day earlier. The unrest has left 86 persons dead and thousands others injured.
The railways suffered heavy losses due to the damages and disruption in its services. "The signal boxes, junction boxes, wiring and other infrastructure have been badly damaged during the unrest," the officials said.
