PM, Sonia flag off train connecting Banihal, Qazigund in J&K

BANIHAL: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today flagged off the first train connecting Banihal in Jammu region with Qazigund in Kashmir Valley.

The newly constructed station here, 125 km from summer capital Srinagar, was decked up with flowers and garlands to receive the VVIPs for flagging off the first train which will pass through 11 km tunnel through Pir Panchal range.

The eight-coach train carrying school children and officials of IRCON and Railways reached Qazigund in 25 minutes. The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km long tunnel, the country's longest, reduces the 35 km distance to 18 km.

It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore. The Prime Minister and Gandhi boarded the train before its departure and interacted with the school children. They returned to Banihal from the new tunnel.

The Udhampur-Banihal section is expected to be completed by 2017 connecting the Valley to the rest of the country round-the-year without any hindrance.