Kashmir’s first Vande Bharat train set for launch! PM Modi to inaugurate in April

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir from Jammu's Katra on April 19, with the completion of the 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail section project, Union minister Jitendra Singh announced on Sunday.

High-Speed Connectivity

The Jammu-Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will initially operate from Katra, due to the renovation work being undertaken at the Jammu station. The rail connectivity project was finished last month, officials informed, further stating that trial runs of the train on the Katra-Baramulla link have also been successfully done. The train service between Kashmir and Katra was also cleared by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, officials were quoted as saying by a news agency report.

PM in Udhampur on April 19

At the same time, Union minister Jitendra Singh told the media persons, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach Udhampur on April 19. He will go to the world's highest railway bridge and will inaugurate it. He will then flag off the Vande Bharat train from Katra afterwards." The inauguration will meet the much-awaited need for a direct railway connectivity to Kashmir. Currently, train services only run between the valley's Sangaldan and Baramulla and from Katra, to all over the country. The ambitious railway project to connect Kashmir started in 1997. But it underwent several delays due to the region's geological, topographical and meteorological complexities, officials said. The project, comprising 38 tunnels, spans a total distance of 119 km. Of these, the longest tunnel runs to a distance of 12.75 km (Tunnel T-49). This is also India's biggest longest transportation tunnel, the report added.

Big Rail Boost

The rail link project also includes 927 bridges, with a total length of 13 km. Among them is the notorious Chenab Bridge with a total length of 1,315 metres, arch length of 467 metres and rising 359 metres above the river. Having defeated Eiffel Tower in height by being 35 metres taller than the latter, the Chenab Bridge will be the world's highest arch rail way bridge. Significantly, the Vande Bharat Express on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla project is likely to significantly cut down the journey time between Jammu and Srinagar, offering a contemporary, efficient rail facility in the area, officials added.