Only 67-km railway track laid in 47 years in Una

Our Correspondent

Una, March 8

Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal today visited the Una and Amb Andaura railway stations to review the progress of the ongoing works on the 90-km Nangal Dam to Talwara via Una broad gauge section.

The foundation stone of the railway line was laid in 1974 by then Railways Minister Lalit Narayan Mishra at Amb but over 23 km of the track beyond the Daulatpur Chowk in Una district to Talwara in Punjab is still to be laid.

The progress of the work has been very tardy and the people of the state have been largely bereft of train services. Sumit Sharma, an Una resident and member of the North Zone Railways Users Consultative Committee, interacted with Gangal along with some other local leaders to put forward their demands for the expansion of rail services in the region.

Sharma said that they submitted a memorandum to Gangal, seeking the extension of new trains to Una district, besides improvement in the existing services. He added that the demands included the extension of the Delhi-Una Janshatabdi train to the Daulatpur Chowk with additional coaches and the extension of the Kolkata-Nangal Gurmukhi Express to Una or Amb Andaura.

He said that they had also demanded the extension of the Saharanpur to Nangal Dam passenger train and the Amritsar to Nangal Dam Express trains to Amb Andaura, providing additional coaches in the Himachal Express train, and finding the possibility to link Una with trains to Mumbai, Meerut and Haridwar.

The demand for a coach washing line at Amb Andaura was also raised again, as all trains coming to Una district have to go to Nangal for washing and then come back to Una for the journey forward.

Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur has also proposed the setting up of a washing line at the Amb Andaura station since it has adequate land for the purpose, said Sharma.

The completion of civil works at the second platform at the Una station and initiating work at the second platform at the Daulatpur Chowk station was also raised with the General Manager.

They also sought the completion of the process of land acquisition for the Bhanupali-Bilaspur rail line by 2024. The General Manager said that all issues would be discussed at appropriate forums.

23-km track left

The stone of the 90-km Nangal Dam to Talwara via Una broad gauge section was laid in 1974 by then Railways Minister Lalit Narayan Mishra at Amb. The track (23 km) beyond the Daulatpur Chowk in Una district to Talwara in Punjab is still to be laid.