Commuters prefer Banihal-Baramulla rail route over road
Amir Karim Tantray
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, August 25
As commuting on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway has become difficult with the ongoing construction work and increasing traffic every day, railway line from Banihal to Baramulla has become the preferred mode of transport.
Everyday thousands of people, including tourists, travel from Banihal to other parts of the Valley. Before train services started, people used to commute through the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Now they are using train from Banihal onwards to the Valley as it saves time and money.
“It has become a lifeline for the people of Banihal. Earlier, we had to plan our visit to any part of the Valley and arrange accommodation for a night halt. But now we go in the morning and come back by afternoon,” said Muhammad Ashraf, a resident of Nowgam, Banihal. “It has changed our lives and it is affordable for everyone,” he added.
These days, the 80-km-long Srinagar-Qazigund national highway stretch is being four-laned and traffic jams have become the order of the day. It takes more than three hours to travel on this route and from Qazigund to Banihal, it takes another hour.
“I have been a frequent traveller on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Earlier, it used to take only two hours from Banihal to Srinagar, but now it takes at least four hours,” said Farooq Ahmed, a taxi driver.
An official of the Railways in Srinagar said everyday around 26 trains move on this route with eight trains on the 134.76-km-stretch from Banihal to Baramulla and 18 trains from Banihal to Budgam and Budgam to Baramulla. On an average, 23,000 passengers travel everyday and the average earning for the Railways is around Rs 2.5 lakh per day.
Travel from Banihal to Baramulla takes two hours only, which by road takes around five hours. As the Katra-Banihal link is yet to be completed, the services in the Valley are limited to local trains. The fare from Banihal to Baramulla is Rs 30.
