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Train To Kashmir, Delhi-Meerut RRTS, 2 Major Expressways: What India Can Expect In 2025
Last Updated:January 02, 2025, 09:19 IST
In the initial few weeks of 2025, train connectivity to Kashmir is likely to begin. Around the same time, commercial services of the RRTS from Meerut to Delhi could also be started
A MEMU train during a trial run on Sangaldan-Reasi section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project. (Image: PTI)
The year 2025 is going to be critical when it comes to improving infrastructure and connectivity in India. Starting from a broad-gauge railway connectivity to Kashmir to the Delhi-Meerut RRTS, a series of new projects are lined up for completion this year.
In addition, there are several critical national highway projects under the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) – some more sections of Delhi-Mumbai expressway and the completion of the Delhi-Dehradun expressway.
In the initial few weeks of the new year, train connectivity to Kashmir is likely to begin. Around the same time, the commercial services of the regional rapid transit system (RRTS) from Meerut to Delhi could also be started.
News18 has learnt that while the official announcement of the dates for these projects are yet to be made, they are in their final stages.
With the RRTS functional in Delhi, those travelling to and from Meerut will have a faster, cheaper and convenient mode of transport. The services, so far, were available between Ghaziabad and Meerut.
After a wait of several decades, the broad-gauge railway connectivity to Kashmir will become a reality. This all-weather line will ease the journey to the region.
The first train – a Vande Bharat sleeper – is expected to be flagged off soon. So far, there is no direct train from Delhi or any other major Indian city to Kashmir.
While regular train services reach Kashmir, Rameswaram’s wait will also be over with the unveiling of the Pamban Bridge, which is ready and will be inaugurated this year.
For the train to reach Kashmir, commercial operation on the complete Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) section is important. For this, India’s first cable-stayed Anji Khad railway bridge has been built and tests on it are underway. A part of the 326-km rail line connecting Udhampur to Baramulla via Srinagar, this bridge connects Katra and Reasi.
Similar to the Anji Khad Bridge, the one in Pamban is also special as it is India’s first vertical lift railway bridge.
The 2.05-km bridge – connecting Rameswaram to the Tamil Nadu mainland – is being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd at a cost of Rs 535 crore. The existing non-operational Pamban rail bridge is more than 100 years old and was originally built in 1914 to connect Mandapam to Rameswaram on the Gulf of Mannar. It was the only link between the two locations until a new parallel road bridge came up in 1988.
The new bridge is coming up parallel to the old rail bridge, but with enhanced features of vertical lifting. It will allow the Indian Railways to operate trains at a higher speed as well as increase traffic between the mainland and Rameswaram.
The bridge is also expected to enhance the area’s tourism potential. The Commissioner of Railway Safety has inspected the bridge, and it is expected to be made operational in the next few weeks.
While these are the upcoming train connectivity projects, steps are also being taken to enhance air connectivity. Two new airports – Jewar and Navi Mumbai – will be made operational in 2025. Both the airports are expected to start operations in April.
The Noida International Airport in Jewar is designed to handle 12 million passengers annually. This airport will ease flight connectivity to several districts in western Uttar Pradesh, which is being developed as an industrial hub.
The Navi Mumbai Airport, when completed, will become one of the largest greenfield international airports in the country. It will have a capacity to handle 60 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo annually.
NATIONAL HIGHWAY PROJECTS
A part of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, is expected to be flagged off this month. The road between Akshardham and Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) will become operational first, while the remaining section is likely to be opened by March as per the MoRTH deadlines.
This road will cut down travel time to Dehradun from around five to six hours to just two to two-and-a-half hours. It will start from Akshardham in East Delhi and will pass through Baghpat, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Similarly, the deadline for the Bengaluru-Chennai expressway is also in 2025. This 262-km expressway costs more than Rs 17,930 crore and will pass through and connect parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
The Delhi-Mumbai expressway, which is already the longest in India even before completion, is also expected to be ready this year. Some sections of the project have been opened for use.
News india Train To Kashmir, Delhi-Meerut RRTS, 2 Major Expressways: What India Can Expect In 2025
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