Baramulla–Uri Rail Line and Valley Doubling Shelved: Kashmir's Rail Expansion Meets Ecology, Seismic Risk and Local Consent

The Railway Board has informed Northern Railway that the proposed 40-km Baramulla–Uri new line — an extension of the Kashmir line towards the Line of Control (LoC) — and the 74-km doubling of the Qazigund–Srinagar–Budgam stretch have been 'returned by Cabinet Secretariat and are no longer under consideration'. The Indian Express reported on 28 September 2026 that the Uri line was shelved amid ecological concerns; Baramulla MLA Javid Hassan Baig had moved a resolution in the ongoing session of the J&K Legislative Assembly seeking that the project be held in abeyance until an independent geological, geotechnical and seismic assessment of the corridor.