Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir from Jammu’s Katra on April 19, marking the completion of the 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail stretch project, Union minister Jitendra Singh informed on Sunday.
The Jammu-Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will initially run from Katra, owing to the renovation works taking place at the Jammu station.
The rail link project was completed last month, officials said, adding that trial runs of the train on the Katra-Baramulla link have also been conducted successfully. The train service between Katra and Kashmir was also approved by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, officials were cited as saying by a news agency PTI report.
PM in Udhampur on April 19
Meanwhile, Union minister Jitendra Singh told reporters, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Udhampur on April 19. He will visit the world’s highest railway bridge and inaugurate it. After that, he will flag off the Vande Bharat train from Katra.”
The inauguration will fulfil the long-awaited demand for a direct rail connectivity to Kashmir. At present, train services are only operational between the valley’s Sangaldan and Baramulla and from Katra, to all across the nation.
The ambitious rail project to link Kashmir began back in 1997. However, it faced several postponements owing to the geological, topographical and meteorological challenges of the region, officials said.
The project, which includes 38 tunnels, spans a total distance of 119 km. Of these, the longest tunnel stretches up to a distance of 12.75 km (Tunnel T-49). This is also India’s largest longest transportation tunnel, the report mentioned.
The rail link project also comprises 927 bridges, covering a total length of 13 kilometres. Among them is the infamous Chenab Bridge, with an overall length of 1,315 metres, arch span of 467 metres and standing 359 metres above the river. Having beaten the Eiffel Tower in height by being 35 metres taller than it, the Chenab Bridge is set to be the world’s highest arch railway bridge.
