Another feather in the railways’ cap with the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla (USBRL) rail link in January. Moreover, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Vande Bharat train connecting Kashmir to New Delhi on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) in January . According to officials, the Vande Bharat Express train will directly connect the national capital with the valley from January 2025. The train will pass through the Chenab railway bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world.

Singh further said that the combined efforts of IRCON International Limited, responsible for the construction, and Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) for its technical expertise, turned this engineering dream into reality. The Delhi to Kashmir Vande Bharat Express will have 11 3-decker AC coaches, four 2-decker AC coaches and one First AC coach.

The almost completed USBRL project will connect Kashmir with the rest of the country. Out of a total of 272 kilometers, 161 kilometers were commissioned in phases: the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section in October 2009, the 18 km Banihal-Qazigund section in June 2013 and the 25 km Udhampur-Katra section in July. 2014.

The 48.1 km Banihal-Sangaldan stretch, which is part of the USBRL project, was dedicated to the public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2020.

The USBRL project, declared a “National Project” in 2002, extends over 272 kilometers. The highest railway bridge in the world, located 359 meters above the bed of the Chenab River, is 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower. Spanning over 1.3 kilometers, it forms a vital part of the 111 km stretch from Katra to Banihal, a segment of the Kashmir Railway Project.

The highest railway bridge in the world, located 359 meters above the bed of Chenab, culminates 35 meters above the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Spanning over 1.3 kilometers, it forms a crucial link in the 111 km stretch from Katra to Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla section of the Kashmir railway project, officials said.