Railway stations across the Kashmir Valley have been beautifully decorated as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the first-ever Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, a landmark moment connecting the region to the rest of India by rail for the very first time.
The high-speed train will travel from Delhi to Srinagar via Katra, the pilgrimage town that serves as the base for the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.
The launch marks the successful completion of one of India’s most ambitious and challenging infrastructure projects – the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL). The journey includes two engineering marvels:
The world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River
India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge at Anji
Spanning 272 km through the Himalayas, the project features 36 tunnels (covering 119 km) and 943 bridges, and has been built at a cost of ₹43,780 crore. The railway line will not only improve mobility but also enhance trade and tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Though the vision for connecting the Valley by rail was floated in the 1970s during former PM Indira Gandhi’s time, the project was officially sanctioned in 1994 under PM P. V. Narasimha Rao. Real groundwork began in 2002 when the Vajpayee government allocated funds for land acquisition.
Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared a personal moment, saying, “I heard about this project when I was in class 7 or 8. Now my children are grown up and working. It’s been a long wait.”
The Vande Bharat Express will initially run between Katra and Srinagar, offering fast, modern, and reliable travel. It is expected to ease the burden of expensive air travel and eliminate disruptions caused by snowfall and landslides on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
This historic rail link symbolizes a new chapter of progress, connectivity, and national integration for Jammu and Kashmir.
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