Preparation for laying ballastless track in progress on Katra-Banihal railway line

REASI: The preparatory works for laying ballastless track (BLT) is in progress in several stretches from Katra to Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) national project.

This was revealed by officials during inspection and review of the ongoing important works of the USBRL project by R N Sunker, Member Infrastructure on Tuesday.

A ballastless track or slab track is a type of railway track infrastructure in which the traditional elastic combination of ties, sleepers and ballast is replaced by a rigid construction of concrete or asphalt.

Sunker was informed that the country’s ”first cable-stayed bridge” Anji bridge has been completed and preparatory works for laying the ballastless track are in progress, officials said.

Sunker, who inspected the entire section from Bakkal to Dugga by motor trolley, was also informed that the BLT has been laid in the section (world’s highest railway bridge) and the work of installation of electro-mechanical devices is in progress, they said.

The BLT has to be laid on nearly 30 kilometers of track in different stretches on 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal.

He inspected and reviewed the ongoing important works of the Anji bridge, for which all 96 cables were fully installed on April 26 in a record time period of 11 months, they said.