Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch the Vande Bharat Express train service between Katra and Srinagar next week. This new train service is an important step for improving rail travel in Jammu and Kashmir.
Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyaya, the chief public relations officer of Northern Railways, mentioned that while a specific date for the inauguration has not been set, it will happen soon. He added that daily trial runs of the train are being conducted to ensure everything is safe and ready. “Since the Katra-Banihal rail section is new, we are doing extra trials to make sure everything is secure,” Upadhyaya said.
The Katra-Banihal rail section is 17 kilometers long and is part of the larger Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, which is 272 kilometers in total. This section is known to be one of the most challenging parts of the project. On January 15, after several successful trial runs, the Commissioner of Railway Safety for the northern region, Dinesh Chand Deshwal, approved the opening of this important rail link.
To ensure safety before the inauguration, Nalin Prabhat, the Director General of Police, visited the area on Monday to review security for the new track. He inspected the 17-kilometer stretch and also visited the world’s highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab River at Kauri village, as well as the country’s first cable-stayed rail bridge over the Anji River.
On January 4, Sandeep Gupta, the chief administrative officer of the USBRL project, along with senior railway officials, successfully conducted the first trial run of an electric train from Katra to Banihal. This is a big step in improving rail travel in the region, which is expected to help boost tourism and the economy in Jammu and Kashmir.
As the inauguration approaches, the Vande Bharat Express is set to provide a modern and efficient travel option for passengers, connecting Jammu and Kashmir more closely with the rest of India.
