PM Modi To Flag Off Srinagar–Katra Vande Bharat Trains On 6 June, Completing Kashmir Valley’s Rail Link

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to virtually flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains between Srinagar and Katra on 6 June, marking the completion of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Line (USBRL) a long-awaited project linking the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India, Financial Express reported.

The USBRL spans 272 km and features engineering marvels such as the world’s highest railway bridge, the first cable-stayed bridge in Indian Railways, and Tunnel T-50, India’s longest railway tunnel at nearly 13 km.

The final 111 km Katra–Banihal stretch, completed in January 2025, will now open to passengers. The inauguration, originally scheduled for April, was delayed due to adverse weather and the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Vande Bharat services will initially operate exclusively between Srinagar and Katra. Due to ongoing construction at Jammu Railway Yard, direct trains from Jammu to Srinagar are not yet feasible.

Passengers will transfer at Katra until infrastructure work, expected to conclude by September, is complete. While some political leaders criticised the route limitation, rail officials confirmed the decision was based on station readiness rather than security concerns.

The project’s significance is underlined by its estimated cost of over Rs 43,000 crore, with Rs 35,000 crore invested in the challenging Katra–Banihal segment alone.

Coinciding with this milestone, the newly constituted Jammu Division of Indian Railways India’s 70th has become operational, assuming control over USBRL operations. Headquartered at Jammu Tawi, the division was carved from the historic Firozpur Division to enhance efficiency.

The USBRL project was first envisioned in 1983 and later declared a national project in 2002 by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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