PM Modi to flag off first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir on April 19   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir on April 19 from Katra, marking the completion of the 272-kilometre Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.

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The Jammu-Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will initially operate from Katra as the Jammu railway station is undergoing renovation.

According to officials, the rail link project was completed last month. Trial runs of the train on the Katra-Baramulla route have been successfully conducted. The Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the train service between Katra and Kashmir in January, they said.

The Vande Bharat Express is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar, providing a modern and efficient rail service for the region, they said.

Speaking to reporters in Jammu on Sunday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, "Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Udhampur on April 19. He will visit the world's highest railway bridge and inaugurate it. After that, he will flag off the Vande Bharat train from Katra."

The inauguration of the train will fulfil a long-standing demand for direct rail connectivity to Kashmir. Currently, train services operate only between Sangaldan and Baramulla in the Valley and from Katra to destinations across the country.

Officials said the ambitious project to link Kashmir by train began in 1997 but faced multiple delays due to geological, topographical and meteorological challenges.

The project includes 38 tunnels spanning a total of 119 km, with the longest among them being the 12.75 km-long Tunnel T-49. It is also the country's longest transportation tunnel.

The project also features 927 bridges, covering a combined length of 13 kilometres. Among them is the iconic Chenab Bridge, which has an overall length of 1,315 metres, an arch span of 467 metres, and stands 359 metres above the riverbed. Being 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, it is set to be the world's highest arch railway bridge.