USBRL Project: Trial Run Of Electric Train Conducted On Katra-Banihal Section Ahead Of CMRS Inspection

Ahead of the final inspection by the Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS) scheduled for 7 and 8 January, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Udhampur-Baramulla-Srinagar Rail Link (USBRL) project and senior officials conducted the first successful trial run of an electric train on the Katra-Banihal route on Saturday (4 January).

“Chief administrative officer of USBRL project Sandeep Gupta and senior officials conducted a trial run of an electric train from Katra to Banihal. The train crossed the first cable rail bridge over Anji river. The train started from Jammu and subsequently covered Katra-Banihal stretch,” a railways official was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The Katra-Banihal section spans 111 km, featuring 27 tunnels and 37 bridges. This stretch includes India’s longest railway tunnel, T-49, which is 12.75 km long.

The first Vande Bharat train connecting Delhi to Srinagar is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in January.

The work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project started in 2005-06. The 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla rail section in Kashmir was inaugurated in October 2009 and the 18-km Banihal-Qazigund and 25-km Udhampur-Katra sections were commissioned in June 2013 and July 2014, respectively.

The 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link aims to connect Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country by a broad-gauge railway line. 

In February 2024, a successful trial run of an electric train was carried out on a 40-km stretch between Banihal and Sangaldan.

The railway line to Kashmir comprises 38 tunnels and 927 bridges, including the world’s tallest railway arch bridge, standing 359 meters above the Chenab River in Reasi.

Also Read: India Achieves Milestone: World's Third Largest Metro Rail Network With 1,000 km Operational Length