Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the final section of the Katra to Sagaldan portion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project on April 19, 2025. The length of the project is 272 kilometers. Under this portion comes the iconic Chenab Railway Bridge. This is the world’s highest railway arch bridge.
Chenab Bridge:
This bridge will be the highest railway bridge, stretching 13,115 meters and 359 meters tall. The Chenab Bridge is made for a lifespan of 120 years. It has cleared various tests including high-velocity winds, earthquakes, extreme temperatures, and hydrological impacts.
How People Reacted To This Upcoming Project?
Speaking to ANI, a resident of Bakkal village near the bridge said, “This bridge is in our vicinity. On April 19, PM Modi will inaugurate this bridge. We are so happy; everyone in the village is so happy. The construction of this bridge generated a lot of employment opportunities, and even after the inauguration, we will get employment opportunities.”
#WATCH | Reasi, J&K | A resident of Bakkal village says, "This bridge is in our vicinity. On April 19, PM Modi will inaugurate this bridge. We are so happy, everyone in the village is so happy. The construction of this bridge generated a lot of employment opportunities, and even… pic.twitter.com/eSSlZInd8q
---Advertisement---— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025
On April 10, Dilip Kumar, the Railway Board’s Executive Director of Information & Publicity (ED/IP), highlighted the significance of the 272-kilometre USBRL (Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link) project, which includes a 119-kilometre tunnel.
Speaking to ANI, Kumar asserted that the project is expected to boost connectivity, tourism, and religious significance for the Kashmir region. “It has been the dream of every Indian to have a train running to Kashmir. For this, we have made long preparations, and now this USBRL section is ready. There is a 119-kilometre tunnel in this 272-kilometre section. This entire area is very important from the religious, tourism, and connectivity point of view of Kashmir,” Kumar said.
Trial run of Vande Bharat Train conducted on the Katra-Sangaldan Link.
#WATCH | Katra, J&K | Trial run of Vande Bharat Train conducted on the Katra-Sangaldan Link.
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025
PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the final section of the Katra-Sangaldan stretch of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272-km project, on April 19. pic.twitter.com/P3U1lhSXoj
He further pointed out that on the day of its inauguration, two Vande Bharat Express trains will begin service, one running from Srinagar and the other from Katra to Srinagar. “On the date of commencement of the project, we have planned to run two Vande Bharat Express trains. One Vande Bharat Express train will run from Srinagar, and the other will run from Katra to Srinagar,” the Railway Board Executive Director said. On January 23, Indian Railways conducted the trial run of the first Vande Bharat train from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) railway station to the Srinagar railway station. The train will run through Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and Chenab Bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world. This train has been designed keeping in mind the cold climate conditions of the Kashmir valley.
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