Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti: Kashmir's 1st electric train to start operating from Oct 2, ticket prices to get cheaper

Srinagar: To safeguard the environment in the Kashmir Valley, Indian Railways is introducing the first electric train for the Kashmir region. The first electric train on the Banihal- Baramulla corridor will start next month. The electric train will run on the 137 km long Banihal-Baramulla corridor of the Jammu and Kashmir rail link. The Indian railways have carried out multiple trials on the Budgam-Baramulla rail link and Banihal-Baramulla rail link as well. The government is planning to start the first electric rail on October 2. The total project cost for the electric rail link has been 324 crores. 

Abid Amin Shah, the Additional General Manager of IRCON, said ''This electric train has two sections, the Budgam-Baramulla rail link trials had taken place earlier this year and now we did the trials for Budgam-Banihal section on 24,25 and 26th September. We also got the security/safety inspection done by the principal chief electrical engineer, northern railways. It was done for three days and we are fit for running the first electric train in this section, '' 

Indian Railways has been pushing for pollution-free railways and In Kashmir, work is going on to convert all the trains running on fuel to electric. These electric trains are also cost-effective as they are going to bring down the operational costs by over 60 per cent. 

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"The diesel locomotives are phasing out and most of the trains will run on electricity. 95-97 trains have been electrified. The running time will also be saved, as its speed is more than diesel trains. It's the mission of the government of India to make railways pollution free, and with the introduction of these electric trains, the pollution would be zero. And especially concerning Kashmir valley, it's a great thing,'' sa Abid Amin Shah, Additional General Manager, IRCON.

Since the operational costs of the railways will come down, it's expected that the passengers taking these trains will also get benefitted. The cost of tickets is expected to come down as well. The electric trains also will be faster than the previous trains and will save the passengers a lot of time.