Parliament Question: Railway Connectivity to Chenab valley and Pir Panjal

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1708 ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 RAILWAY CONNECTIVITY TO CHENAB VALLEY AND PIR PANJAL 1708 SHRI SAJJAD AHMAD KICHLOO: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has any plans, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) or sanctioned projects to extend railway lines into Chenab valley including Doda, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, Padder and adjoining areas and into Pir Panjal; (b) if so, the status of each proposal, timeline, environment and forest clearances and technical challenges identified; (c) the funds that have been allocated for feasibility studies or pre-construction works, and the employment and tourism benefits that are expected; and (d) by when can these regions expect operational rail connectivity? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): To extend and improve rail connectivity in Jammu & Kashmir region, following DPRs and Final Location Survey have been taken up: S N Project Remarks 1 Qazigund-Srinagar-Budgam doubling (74 km) DPR prepared 2 Baramulla to Uri new line (40 km) DPR prepared 3 Jalandhar Cantt. – Jammu Tawi 3rd line (211 km) DPR prepared Survey of Udhampur/Katra – Doda-Bhadarwah new line including Doda/Prem Nagar - Kishtwar (224 km) New line was carried out. The project has low traffic projections. After preparation of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed. §Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors which include the following:  Anticipated traffic projections and Remunerativeness of the proposed route  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project  Connection of missing links and providing additional route  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,  Railway’s own operational requirements  Socio-economic considerations  Overall availability of funds ***** §