New Jammu Railway Division effective from June 1. What it means for the Kashmir line

Indian Express

2 days ago

The newly formed Jammu Division, headquartered at Jammu Tawi and operating under Northern Railway, has come into effect from June 1. The 70th division of Indian Railways will oversee a substantial area, primarily consisting of sections transferred from the existing Firozpur Division, which is as old as the Indian Railways. The first railway line of the area, from Amritsar to Atari, was opened in April 1862.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Jammu Railway Division on January 6, 2025, the first division in the Himalayan region, which will handle many projects of strategic importance.
According to the gazette notification published May 29, 2025, the key sections now under the control of the 742 kilometre-Jammu Division include Pathankot – Jammu – Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan – Srinagar – Baramulla (423 kms), Bhogpur Sirwal – Pathankot (87 km), Batala – Pathankot (68 km) and Pathankot – Joginder Nagar narrow gauge section (164 km).
The Railway Board has defined the specific divisional boundaries between the new Jammu Division and the Firozpur Division, which will be located at km 27.750 on the Jalandhar-Pathankot Section and at km 39.150 on the Amritsar-Pathankot section.
With the formation of the new Jammu Division, the Firozpur Division's jurisdiction will be revised, controlling the remaining areas, excluding the sections transferred to Jammu.
The decision to carve out a separate division in Northern Railway is significant for Indian Railways' ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL), also called the Kashmir line, which is partially operational. The most arduous section, Katra-Banihal (111 km), is also complete, and awaits inauguration to connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country by the Indian Railways.
A senior officer of the Northern Railway said the Jammu Division will meet the transport needs of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and parts of Punjab. The Jammu Division covers the 11 important goods sheds/goods terminals, which will help transport food grains, petroleum, cement, sugar, coal, fertilisers, seasonal fruits, and vegetables.
'The major problem for these areas with the Firozpur Division was the distance. Since the new division is headquartered in Jammu, it will be very helpful for executing projects in the border areas. It will also help in the continuous monitoring of projects like USBRL, as these are of national importance. We will also be able to develop passenger facilities well. Manpower is being increased in the division by the Railways. Officers have been appointed to many senior posts, including Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). This division also has the Kangra Valley Railway line, which is the longest narrow-gauge line in the country. We will be able to manage it well,' said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Northern Railway.
Upadhyay added that the new division was important because after the completion of USBRL, the Indian Railways is now moving ahead to expand its lines towards border areas, which is planned to go all the way to Leh.
Vivek Kumar, the first DRM of Jammu Division, said the formation of a new division is not only important for connectivity with Kashmir, but also for defence purposes, as the area is strategically placed.
'This is the most challenging division because of the difficult terrain and landslide-prone areas. So, for the effective implementation of the project in the region, a new division was necessary as Firozpur is very far from here. Now, we are closely monitoring all kinds of railway works. We are fully prepared for the inauguration of a complete stretch of USBRL. Because the notification for the division has come, all the remaining posts will be filled, and more manpower will move here. We have created the administrative layer for working,' said Kumar, who was earlier posted as Executive Director, Signal and Telecommunication (S&T) development.
Kumar was also involved in the train protection system KAVACH.
Explaining the significance of the new division, Kumar said, 'For the first time, we have transported 25 tonnes of cherries from Katra to Mumbai. We attached a parcel van with a passenger, a train and the first consignment of Kashmir farmers was sent. The goods, which used to take 6-7 days to be sent by road and there was also a risk of them getting spoiled, will now reach in just 30 hours. The advantage of forming a new division is that the Railways work according to the needs of the people of that area. Decision making becomes easy, and the productivity of the department increases.'
According to the response tabled by the Ministry of Railways in Lok Sabha on March 12, 2025, the Indian Railways has taken up five surveys falling in Jammu and Kashmir.
These new proposed lines include Baramulla-Uri New Line (46 km), Sopore-Kupwara New Line (37 km), Anantnag-Pahalgam New Line (78 km), Avantipore-Shopian New Line (28 km) and Banihal-Baramulla doubling (118 km).
The survey for a new line between Jammu and Poonch via Akhnur and Rajauri (223 km) was also carried out. The cost of the project was assessed as Rs. 22,771 crores. But it was found that the project has low traffic projections.
Apart from this, the 552-km Bhanupli-Leh line is another major project of the Indian Railways, which will connect Bhanupli in Punjab to Leh in Ladakh. After USBRL, it is going to be another challenging project as the line traverses through the difficult terrain of the Himalayas.
Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More