Yogesh
Srinagar, Jun 5: A day ahead of dedicating Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) to nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that June 6, 2025 is going to be a special day for people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the much-awaited Kashmir rail link and also bestow to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore in Katra on Friday during his J&K visit, first after the “Operation Sindoor” that was launched by the Indian Armed Forces in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.
PM Modi wrote on X: “Tomorrow, 6 June, is indeed a special day for my sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir. Key infrastructure projects worth Rs. 46,000 crores are being inaugurated, which will have a very positive impact on people’s lives.”
Terming railway bridges on the USBRL link as “extraordinary feat of architecture,” PM Modi further wrote: “The Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Anji Bridge stands tall as India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge in a terrain that is challenging.”
“The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project ensures all-weather connectivity, and the Vande Bharat trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar will boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities,” the Prime Minister wrote.
Officials said that PM Modi would arrive at Udhampur Air Force Station at 10 am. He would inaugurate Chenab bridge at 11 am and would travel in train from Chenab bridge to cable stayed bridge at 11.30 am.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold interaction with engineers, including retired persons, involved in the project. He would return to Katra railway station by train and would address a public rally at Katra stadium between 12 pm and 12.30 pm.
Meanwhile, a multi-tier security setup has been put in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s J&K visit.
The Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Chenab bridge (highest railway bridge in the world) and India’s first cable-stayed Anji bridge, the symbol of India’s engineering excellence before flagging off Vande Bharat trains to mark the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL) that will provide direct train connectivity to Kashmir.
Officials said that a high security alert has been sounded across Jammu and Kashmir in view of the Prime Minister’s visit with senior police, paramilitary officers, army and intelligence officers personally monitoring the situation.
Heavy security deployments have been made in and around the venues with latest gadgets, including drones deployed to keep a close vigil, the officials said, adding the security grid on the borders and the hinterland has been further beefed up to check infiltration and movement of anti-national and subversive elements.
The area domination and raids on the houses of suspected persons including Over Ground Workers and relatives of terrorists operating from across the border have also been intensified as part of the security arrangements, the officials added.
Officials said that PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various road projects. He will lay the foundation stone of road widening project from Rafiabad to Kupwara on National Highway-701 and the construction of Shopian bypass road on NH-444 worth over Rs 1,952 crore. He will also inaugurate two flyover projects at Sangrama Junction on National Highway-1 in Srinagar and at Bemina Junction on National Highway-44. These projects will ease traffic congestion and enhance traffic flow for the commuters.
Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra worth over Rs 350 crore. It will be the first medical college in Reasi district contributing substantially to the healthcare infrastructure in the region.
The 272 Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country aiming to transform regional mobility and driving socio-economic integration.
The Prime Minister will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, pilgrims among others.
Out of the total 272 km USBRL project, 209 km was commissioned in phases with the first phase of the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section commissioned in October 2009 followed by 18 km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013, 25 km Udhampur-Katra in July 2014 and 48.1 km long Banihal-Sangaldan stretch in February, last year. The work on the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section was also completed in June last year, leaving a total 17 km stretch between Reasi and Katra and this section was finally completed in December 2024.
The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world’s highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing existing travel time by 2-3 hours.
The Anji Bridge is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain.
Historic day for Kashmir
The June 6, 2025, is poised to be inscribed in golden letters in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Katra-Srinagar rail section was the most critical component of the ambitious USBRL project, considered a transformative infrastructure initiative aimed at connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through a robust, all-weather railway network.
The vision to connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through a railway line is rooted in the late 19th century during the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh.
In 1898, he first articulated the vision of a railway line connecting Jammu, the winter capital of the princely state, to Srinagar, the summer capital nestled in the Kashmir Valley. In 1905, he approved the construction of a narrow 762 mm gauge railway via Reasi, which would eventually evolve into the modern USBRL project. By 1905, after years of deliberation, surveys, and consultations with British engineers, Maharaja Pratap Singh approved the construction of a railway line from Jammu to Srinagar. However, the challenging topography, geological instability, and harsh weather conditions of the region delayed significant progress for decades.
Efforts restarted in 1983
In 1983, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the Jammu-Udhampur section of the railway line. Following this, in 1994, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao announced the modern-day USBRL with an extended railway line from Udhampur to Baramulla via Srinagar to connect the mainland to the Kashmir Valley. The project was formally sanctioned by the Railway Ministry in the 1994-95 budget, with an initial estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore.
National Project
In 2002, USBRL was declared a “National Project” by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, underscoring its strategic and socio-economic importance.
The project is divided into four key legs: Jammu to Udhampur (53 km), Udhampur to Katra (25 km), Katra to Banihal (111 km), Banihal to Baramulla (135 km)
Jammu as railway division
On January 6, 2025, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Jammu Railway Division, carved out of the Firozpur Division, covering 742.1 km as the 70th division of Indian Railways. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) conducts the final safety inspection of the Katra-Reasi section, paving the way for operationalisation. Railways also conduct a trial run of the first Vande Bharat train from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar, traversing the Anji Khad Bridge (India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge) and the Chenab Bridge (the world’s highest railway arch bridge).
