New Delhi: The communication system inside the escape tunnels between two sections of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link Project (USBRL) is incomplete and yet to be fine-tuned, the Northern Railway complained in a written communication to the Konkan Railway Communication Limited, its service provider.
The final Katra-Sangaldan section of the 272-km USBRL project was to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 19 to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country. However, it was postponed due to bad weather predictions, and the new date has not been announced yet.
The work to install and enable an integrated tunnel communication system in the USBRL project was awarded to Konkan Railway Communication Limited (KRCL) for train operational efficiency and safety.
However, according to the Northern Railway’s letter, despite various written instructions as well as repeated verbal discussions, the KRCL has not completed crucial work essential for communication inside the tunnel.
According to the letter, the inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) from Sangaldan to Reasi section was done on June 18 last year, and Reasi to Katra on January 8 this year, but tunnel VHF communication works are still not completed at the site.
“From Sangaldan to Dugga and Katra-Reasi section, tunnel VHF (very high frequency) communication has not been activated in the escape tunnel till yet,” the letter, addressed to the chairman and managing director of the KRCL, said, complaining that important communication components required for ‘adits’ (opening of tunnel) have not been supplied yet.
Besides the escape tunnels, the letter also highlighted challenges in seamless communication in the main tunnels and said, “In VHF Communication in Main Tunnels in Sangaldan-Dugga and Katra Reasi sections, complaints of noise, voice not clear, communication break, communication at one station only are also reported by the user department.” “Also, all six channels designed for VHF communication are to be fine-tuned. Hence, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) should be called to settle these issues so that continuous and clear VHF Communication should be made available,” it added.
The letter has also flagged the delay in the supply and installation of Voice Recording Equipment (VRE) in all block sections from Katra to Sangaldan and said the installation of ROIP (Radio Over IP) in the new divisional control office, Jammu, also has not started yet.
The Northern Railway maintained that, given the incomplete works, the tunnel VHF system of these sections could not be offered to the Jammu Division.
“To avoid further delay, your immediate intervention in the matter is required for completion of balance works and complete commissioning of VHF works,” the Northern Railway said.
It added, “Tunnel VHF Communication is a vital component of communication for train operation in the Katra-Banihal section.” At present, train services are operational between Baramulla and Sangaldan via Qazigund and Banihal.
