Rayees Ahmad Kumar
The two specially designed Vande Bharat trains between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar were flagged off on 06 June 2025 by Hon’ble Prime Minister. The inauguration of a direct rail link to the Valley is a historic milestone that is likely to have a far-reaching impact on the development, trade, and tourism of Kashmir, and its closer all-round integration with the rest of the country.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project was approved in March 1995 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore. In 2002, the USBRL was declared a national project, and sections of the line became operational over the years that followed. The USBRL is finally complete now —272 km of tracks built at a cost of Rs 43,780 crore, passing through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges, bringing Katra and Srinagar within three hours of each other.
Among the several firsts of this remarkable achievement of railway engineering are the world’s highest railway arch bridge, its arch rising 359 metres above the bed of the Chenab in Reasi district; the first cable-stayed bridge of the Railways on the Anji Khad, also in Reasi district; and the country’s longest transport tunnel, 12.77 km long, in Ramban district. The Vande Bharat trains in each direction will cover the distance between Katra and Srinagar in about three hours, halving the time taken by the road journey. The trains will run even in deep winter, providing round-the-year all-weather connectivity to the Valley. The train will be extended soon to Jammu Tawi, which will make it possible to roll into Srinagar directly from almost anywhere in the country.
Over time, the USBRL is expected to have a major impact on the economy of the Union Territory, facilitating hassle-free transport of goods such as apples, dry fruits, pashmina shawls, handicrafts etc., to other parts of the country in the shortest possible time and at lower costs. The cost of transporting items of daily use to the Valley from elsewhere in the country is also expected to go down significantly.
Few days before the formal launch of the train service, cherry packs laden express moved from Katra towards Mumbai, and at the time I am writing this piece, I have learnt from social media that a big consignment of cherries have reached the land of Saudi Arabia. It reminds me the winter time, when highway would close for week’s together in view of heavy snowfall and prices of essential goods would sour all time high. Not only this, our trading community would engage in stockpiling and hoarding essential food and other items to gain illegitimate maximum profits. Air tickets would sell at exorbitant rates and impoverished, patients and other downtrodden classes who can’t afford these unreasonable rates of tickets suffer most at critical and crucial times. Students and other aspirants of various competitive exams, who generally opt their exam centers outside the valley experience bitter times, when lone lifeline of valley remains blocked for weeks together.
Though the traditional Dogra time’s Darbar Move practices have been abolished few years back, yet some offices of administrative level remain headquartered and stationed at Jammu during winter months, posing serious concern among travellers wishing to get their works done, given the frequent closure of the road. Life saving drugs and other surgical items, either get delayed or get stucked at Jammu and other cities, when highway doesn’t permit normal vehicular movement due to erratic weather conditions during winter.
Now, when the rail service has been finally green signalled upto Katra section, it is imperative to extend it to Jammu and then to other cities of country. It will connect the North Pole of country with it’s South, minimizing both distance as well as travel time. The nuisances of frequent highway closure, will no longer haunt travellers, patients, students and other businessmen. The all weather rail connectivity, will truly prove a blessing both for local and non-local people.
In education sector, it will boost both career options and learning opportunities because moving to outside the state will no longer be hectic. In past, parents would show reluctance to send their children outside the state, only a handful of them remained optimistic, as frequent highway closures often added to their desperation. Given the huge linguistic, cultural and religious diversity of the country, flow of ideas and cultures will be easier from now on.
Given the enhanced connectivity with rest of the country, both parents and students are seen optimistic about the career prospects and bright future of their children, as Kashmir to Kanyakumari is a dream come true now. Within a week, after the inauguration of the prestigious express, all the tickets of the Vande Bharat Train were booked for next fifteen days. At a time when it is simmering outside, tourists and other nature lovers, find Kashmir as the only option to relax and enjoy these summer days. With improved connectivity, we hope that the train service proves a major relief giver to majority of the people who earlier have suffered a lot in the past.
(The author is a freelancer. He hails from Qazigund and can be reached at [email protected])
