Jammu-Srinagar Katra Express: The much-awaited Jammu to Srinagar Vande Bharat Express via Katra will be put into service from April 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the inaugural Vande Bharat Express for Jammu and Kashmir in April. This will also mark the completion of the 272-kilometre Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.
“Prime Minister 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,” said Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
However, the train will operate between Katra and Srinagar for the time being as the Jammu railway station is undergoing renovation. The Vande Bharat Express’s trial run on the Katra-Baramulla route has already been successfully completed and the Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the train service between Katra and Kashmir in January.
The Vande Bharat Express will not only reduce the travel time between Jammu and Srinagar but will also mark the beginning of a world-class modern and efficient rail service in the Union Territory.
The inauguration of the train will fulfil a long demand for direct rail connectivity to Kashmir. Currently, train services operate only between Sangaldan and Baramulla in the Valley and from Katra to destinations across the country. Officials said the ambitious project to link Kashmir by train began in 1997 but faced multiple delays due to geological, topographical, and meteorological challenges.
The project includes 38 tunnels spanning a total of 119 km, with the longest among them being the 12.75 km-long Tunnel T-49. It is also the country’s longest transportation tunnel.
The project also features 927 bridges, covering a combined length of 13 kilometres. Among them is the iconic Chenab Bridge, which has an overall length of 1,315 meters, an arch span of 467 meters, and stands 359 meters above the riverbed. Being 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower, it is set to be the world’s highest arch railway bridge.