Railway Minister flagged off Banihal-Baramulla Fast Passenger (74619/74620) and Budgam-Baramulla Demu (74617/74618)

The Union Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu in the presence of Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singhflagged off Train 74619/74620 Banihal-Baramulla Fast Passenger (DEMU) and 74617/74618 Budgam-Baramulla Demu through Video Conferencing between Rail Bhawan New Delhi and Anantnag Railway Station. Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Ms. Mehbooba Mufti graced the inaugural function at the Anantnag Railway Station along with other dignitaries. Chairman, Railway Board, other Board Members and various other dignitaries were among those present at the Rail Bhawan. Baramulla-Budgam-Banihal section is presently being served by 13 pairs of train services which mean 26 single services are presently running.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar said that seamless rail connectivity among all the districts of Jammu & Kashmir has always been a long-standing demand of this beautiful valley and the new services of trains will prove a great comfort to the people of Jammu & Kashmir. He said that being a hilly area the road transport generally takes around 6 hours between Baramulla-Banihal but now one can cover this distance in just 2 hours 20 minutes by using new DEMU train that too in just Rs. 30 fare. He said that the State of Jammu & Kashmir has great importance from the tourism point of view where national and international tourists visit throughout the year and thus this connectivity will give a boost to tourism in the State.  He said that Railway is also working with the help of IRCTC to bring Jammu & Kashmir on a tourism map which will not only promote tourism but also promote its handicraft industry and its delicious cuisines. He said that the Prime Minister of India has specifically focused on development of Jammu & Kashmir State.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the new train services in the Valley is a great relief to the people and a good rail connectivity of train will help develop the State in the field of tourism, economically, social and all other spheres.  He said that new train services will reduce the journey time of the people of Valley and will also be cost effective as the fares of trains are less as compared to road transport. 

Salient Features of the New Trains

On Banihal-Budgam-Baramulla section:

·         Baramulla-Budgam-Banihal section is presently being served by 13 pairs of train services.  Details are as under:-

Baramulla-Banihal	Baramulla-Budgam	Budgam-Banihal
04 pairs of DEMU trains	07 pairs of DEMU trains	10 pairs of DEMU train

Timings are placed at annexure ‘A’.

·         Introduction of 02 pairs of new additional DEMU trains on Banihal-Baramulla section w.e.f. 05.05.2016 viz. 74619/74620 Banihal-Baramulla Fast Passenger and 74617/74618 Budgam-Baramulla DEMU.  The detailed timings and stoppages of trains are as under:-

74619 Banihal-Baramulla fast passenger (DEMU)		74617 Budgam-Baramulla DEMU		(↓) Station (↑)	74620 Baramulla-Banihal fast passenger (DEMU)		74618 Baramulla-Budgam DEMU
Except-Sat		Except-Fri			Except – Fri		Except-Sat
Arr	Dep	Arr	Dep		Arr	Dep	Arr	Dep
	07:40			Banihal	18:55	--
07:55	07:57			Qazigund	18:31	18:32
08:11	08:14			Anantnag	18:12	18:17
08:58	09:03			Srinagar	17:30	17:32
09:20	09:30	--	15:15	Budgam	17:16	17:18	11:30	--
09:42	09:43	15:27	15:28	Mazhom	17:02	17:04	11:12	11:13
10:00	10:01	15:59	16:00	Sopore	16:43	16:44	10:38	10:38
10:20	--	16:20	--	Baramulla	--	16:35	--	10:30

·       Composition:-     Banihal-Baramulla Fast Passenger and Budgam-Baramulla DEMU - Power Coach-2, Trailer Coach-6 i.e. total 8 Coaches.

·       Distance:

·       Distance between Baramulla and Banihal is 137 Km.

·       Distance between Baramulla and Budgam is 45 Km.

·       Distance between Budgam and Banihal is 92 Km.

·       Duration of journey:

02  Hrs 40 Minutes          74619 Banihal-Baramulla fast passenger (DEMU)

02 Hrs 20 Minutes            74620 Baramulla-Banihal fast passenger (DEMU)

01 Hr 05 Minutes   74617 Budgam-Baramulla DEMU

01 Hr                               74618 Baramulla-Budgam DEMU

·       Average speed of 74619/74620 Banihal-Baramulla Fast Passenger (DEMU) is 51.37 Kmph/58.71 Kmph respectively. While the average speed of 74617/74618 Budgam-Baramulla DEMU is 41.55 kmph/45 kmph respectively.