Indian Railway Reservation Rules

First Train Rail to Kashmir, Luxury Train Tour India. After an epic eight-year construction period, India has opened its first train line in Indian admin istered Kashmir.

 

For now, the 72-km (44-mile) route connects the towns of Rajwansher in the north with Anantnag in the south, via the Kashmiri summer capital of Srinagar. The line will eventually stretch 117km (73 miles) from Baramullah to Qazigund and hopefully link up with the rest of India 's massive national rail network.

 

The new service will also turn a three-hour bus ride from Qazigund to Srinagar into 45 minutes by train, with Indian engineers rating the complexity of its construction as second only to the line across the ‘Roof of the World' between China and Tibet.

 

India 's new rail offering currently has nine stations and trains are fitted with large windows to provide views of the spectacular mountain scenery.

 

As well as the mountains and harsh Himalayan winter, workers had to contend with the threat of attack from militants, two workers were killed in 2004 and a policeman died after an attack on a group of engineers in 2007. Violence also marred the opening ceremony – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged off the first train on Saturday in Srinagar – as two protestors were shot dead by police.

 

However reports from India say that so many passengers wanted to board the first commercial trains on Sunday that most were allowed on for free.

 

Armed railway police will patrol carriages, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently advise against all travel to or through rural Kashmir, and all but essential travel to Srinagar .