With the 272 km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project nearing its end, the first direct train from Kashmir to Delhi will begin operating in January. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the remaining 17-kilometre stretch of the project.
As per a report by The Indian Express, the train will cover 800 km in less than 13 hours.
A latest update on the project by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reveals that the final track work on the rail link is now complete, calling it a “historic milestone”.
In a post on X, the minister announced that the ballast-less track work for the 3.2-km-long Tunnel T-33, situated at the foothills of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and linking Katra to Reasi, was successfully completed today at 2:00 am.
Take a look at the picture the minister shared with the update.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is a national project undertaken by Indian Railways to construct a broad-gauge railway line through the Himalayas, connecting the Kashmir region to the rest of the country. This all-weather, comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective mass transportation system aims to serve as a catalyst for the comprehensive development of the country’s northernmost alpine region.
The report by IE had said that the proposed 62-km-long track of the rail link, of which 45 km has been completed, lies between Katra and Sangaldan. Trial runs have been carried out between Sangaldan and Reasi. This same stretch houses the world’s highest bridge over the Chenab river.
Sources had told IE that the work on the remaining 17 km on the T33 tunnel had reached an advanced stage of completion. They had said that the stretch would be ready for trial by December 20. This stretch holds four stations between Reasi and Katra.