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JAMMU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train service in the first week of June, with the ceremony likely to take place on June 6 at Shri Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK), sources said.
The event will mark the official opening of the final stretch of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a major milestone in connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India by rail.
Ahead of the launch, PM Modi is expected to visit the Chenab Bridge-India’s highest railway bridge-before heading to Katra to flag off the Vande Bharat Express (Rake-21/2080) between SVDK and Srinagar.
Authorities have been directed to complete all arrangements and update personnel data by June 2, indicating final preparations are underway.
The last section of the USBRL project, from Sangaldan to Katra-considered the most challenging due to its tough terrain-has now been completed.
The Rs 37,000 crore project features 943 bridges and 36 main tunnels, including Tunnel T-50, India’s longest railway tunnel at 12.7 km.
The Vande Bharat service will travel across key engineering marvels like the Chenab Bridge, which stands 359 metres above mean sea level, and the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, spanning 725 metres with 96 supporting cables.
Earlier this month, around 800 Indian Army personnel successfully travelled from Delhi to Srinagar via Katra, showcasing the operational readiness of the full USBRL route.
The project has progressed in phases over the years: Qazigund-Baramulla (2009), Banihal-Qazigund (2013), Udhampur-Katra (2014), and Banihal-Sangaldan (2023). A key trial run involving a 22-coach train was conducted in January 2025 between Katra and Budgam, clearing the way for the upcoming launch.(Agencies)
