Srinagar: In a significant moment for Jammu and Kashmir’s connectivity, National Conference chief and former J&K Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah boarded the Vande Bharat Express from Nowgam Railway Station in Srinagar to Katra, terming the high-speed train a “huge blessing” for both residents and tourists.
The journey marks a symbolic endorsement of the transformative Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project, which is set to bridge Kashmir with the rest of India via a seamless, all-weather rail corridor.
Speaking to reporters during the journey, Abdullah said, “I am very happy that I am travelling on this train to Katra. This is a huge blessing for us and is going to benefit tourists a lot. It is difficult to travel by road, and prices for air travel are extremely high. This train is going to benefit us a lot.”
The two Vande Bharat Express trains running from Katra to Srinagar were flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6. These state-of-the-art trains reduce travel time between the two cities to just about three hours, cutting the earlier journey by up to two to three hours. Designed to operate efficiently in the cold and mountainous terrain of the Kashmir Valley, they symbolize a leap forward in Indian rail infrastructure.
The Vande Bharat route includes a ride across two of the country’s most iconic engineering achievements — the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge at 359 metres above the river.
The Chenab Bridge, inaugurated recently by PM Modi, is a marvel of modern engineering, spanning 1,315 metres and built to withstand extreme seismic activity and high winds. Together with the Anji Bridge, these structures have unlocked new avenues of mobility in the region.
The USBRL project, costing an estimated ₹43,780 crore, stretches 272 kilometres, comprising 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges. It promises not just enhanced travel but also socio-economic transformation, linking the Kashmir Valley more deeply with the rest of India.
