Katra (J&K), June 6 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dedicated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation by flagging off the Vande Bharat train to Srinagar from Katra railway station in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Modi was accompanied by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The PM flagged off Vande Bharat in line with his commitment to boost rail infrastructure and connectivity in the region.

The 272 km-long USBRL project, built with 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.

This is the first visit of the Prime Minister to J&K during ongoing Operation Sindoor and post April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local were killed.

Of the total 272km of the USBRL project, 209km was commissioned in phases with the first one (118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section) commissioned in October 2009, followed by (18km) Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013, (25km) Udhampur-Katra in July 2014 and (48.1 km) 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 17- km stretch between Reasi and Katra that was also completed in February-March this year. That led to the start of trial runs, including that of Vande Bharat.

The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will have features like a heating system, anti-spall layers, and automatic doors.

The train is designed to operate smoothly in cold weather, down to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat will run on the world’s highest railway arch bridge and Anji Bridge built on the Chenab in Reasi district.

UNI VBH PRS