First fast train from Feb 6 on Pathankot-Baijnath Narrow Gauge Section

Dharamshala, February 4, 2019: 141-kms part of the 90-years-old Kangra Valley Railway, narrow gauge passenger track will have its first fast moving train service from February 6. The train shall be flagged off by CM Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur at Paprola-Baijnath railway station at 4.30pm.This train will take 5 hours and 5 minutes to complete its 141-kms journey to reach Pathankot. The train will start back its journey the next morning from Pathankot at 9.20am for Paprola (Baijnath). At present, the ordinary train on this section is covering this distance in more than 7 hours.
The Northern Railways spokes person said that beside few ordinary coaches, specially designed two sitting coaches, AC chair car and 2nd sitting, of 40 seats each are being attached, for which one can book seats (online) through Indian Railways website. This advance booking facility is also being extended on this track for the first time. According to Railways, this new service will soon be extended to the entire track from Pathankot to Jaginder Nagar (164 kms).
On December 2 last year, the Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Minister Himachal Jai Ram Thakur conducted an aerial survey of the Kangra rail line. And then in a press conference at Dharamshala Piyush Goel, Rail Minister said, “I surveyed the Joginder Nagar – Pathankot Narrow-gauge rail track along with Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur through helicopter today. I was surprised to know that that this 164-kms rail journey takes around 9 hours. It is really suffering for the travellers. Now, I met the rail authorities in Dharamshala and ordered them to do oscillation trails on this track in next 100 days, after a fresh survey of the track, to reduce this 9 hours tiring journey to a moderate 6 hour journey. I have just now ordered the railway board on phone, to construct new railway compartments for this track, to give more speed to the rail and to also provide more comforts to the passengers. I also ordered them to prepare few vista dome coaches for wider scenic view in these trains, on the lines of European train.”Minister said that the very old and damaged rail line on Pathankot-Joginder Nagar Track shall be replaced by the new one.
“The 17 main stations on this track shall be facilitated with free wi-fi facility in next 6 months”, the minister said. He added, “Kangra station shall be upgraded to be given a heritage look.”
He rejected the need of converting Pathankot -Joginder Nagar narrow gauge into broad gauge as the same would disturb the beauty of the nature of the area and it will lose its heritage values too. He said that instead we will increase the speed and the facilities of narrow gauge, to modernize it.
This introduction of the fast moving narrow gauge train in Pathankot- Baijnath section is this first step towards rail minister’s direction.
The Kangra Valley Railway, narrow gauge line lies in the sub-Himalayan region of Kangra Valley and covers a distance of 164 km (101.9 mi) from Pathankot, Punjab to Jogindernagar in Himachal Pradesh. The railway line was planned in May 1926 and commissioned in 1929. The line has two tunnels, one of which is 250 ft (76 m) and the other 1,000 ft (300 m) in length.
The highest point on this line is at Ahju station at an elevation of 1,290 meters (4,230 ft).
The Kangra valley railway comes under the Firozpur division of Northern Railway. Railway spokes person said that Glass coaches will soon be introduced on this track and trains will have the Wi-Fi facility.