Ashwini Vaishnaw celebrates successful trial run of train connecting Kashmir to rest of country

With the Indian Railways set to formally start the first-ever train that will connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, a test run was conducted on Wednesday on the world’s highest railway arch bridge – the Chenab Bridge – in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted a video on social media of the high-speed train running on the bridge. “Tested train run at 110 kmph on the Chenab bridge. Historic day indeed. The Jammu-Srinagar railway line is getting ready to be operational soon,” he captioned it.

According to information, the high-speed Vande Bharat Express will be inaugurated along with two other trains that will ply between Srinagar and Katra daily.

The Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) had recently conducted a successful test run of the train between Katra and Banihal in Ramban district. “Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) successfully tested a train running on Anji Khad bridge on the Jammu-Srinagar line,” the Minister had posted on X.

Anji Khad bridge is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge.

After the test run, the CRS is expected to share the data with senior officials of Indian Railways in New Delhi, who will inform the ministry about it. A decision to start the train to Srinagar is expected soon. According to sources, the announcement about the train to the Kashmir Valley is likely near Republic Day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the new Jammu Railway Division recently ahead of the formal start of the train to the Valley.

Creation of the Jammu railway division, with 742.1 km comprising the Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla, Bhogpur Sirwal-Pathankot, Batala-Pathankot and Pathankot-Joginder Nagar sections is expected to significantly benefit Jammu and Kashmir, and its surrounding regions.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha recently said, “For Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Railways is spearheading a new era of development and integration. Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line will seamlessly connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari, boosting tourism, trade and employment opportunities in the region.”

By connecting Kashmir to the national railway network, Indian Railways has laid the foundation for a prosperous and integrated future for Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

The Railways is already conducting surveys for the Anantnag-Bijbehara-Pahalgam (78km) and Awantipora-Shopian (28km) rail lines.