PM Modi Flags Off Vande Bharat Trains Connecting Katra to Srinagar, Marking a Historic Milestone for Kashmir

New Delhi/Srinagar, June 9 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two specially designed Vande Bharat trains, establishing the first-ever direct rail connectivity between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar. This landmark development marks a major step in enhancing Kashmir’s integration with the rest of India, with far-reaching implications for tourism, trade, and overall regional development.

A Century-Long Journey to the Valley

The journey to achieve rail connectivity in the region has been long and complex. The first railway line in the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was constructed by the British in 1897, stretching 40–45 km between Jammu and Sialkot in present-day Pakistan.

In the early 1900s, proposals were made for a railway between Rawalpindi and Srinagar via the Jhelum River, which would have integrated the Valley with the rail network of undivided India. However, these plans stalled. Maharaja Pratap Singh preferred a Jammu-Srinagar route via Reasi, but even that vision remained unrealized.

After the Partition in 1947, Jammu was cut off from the Indian railway system, as Sialkot became part of Pakistan. For decades, Pathankot in Punjab served as the closest railway station to Jammu and Kashmir, until the Pathankot-Jammu line was inaugurated in 1975.

Bridging the Gaps with USBRL

Efforts to extend railways further resumed in 1983 with the construction of a 53-km line between Jammu and Udhampur. Initially projected to take five years, the line was only completed after 21 years. Recognizing the strategic importance of connecting the Valley, the central government in 1994 proposed an extension from Udhampur to Srinagar and Baramulla. This became the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), sanctioned in March 1995 with a cost estimate of ₹2,500 crore.

Declared a national project in 2002, USBRL has gradually progressed over the decades, facing daunting engineering challenges — including the construction of the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Reasi.

A New Era for Kashmir

On Friday, a Vande Bharat train made its way across the iconic Chenab bridge — the tallest railway arch bridge in the world — signaling a new chapter for Jammu and Kashmir’s connectivity. The launch of these high-speed trains is expected to usher in a new era of mobility, economic growth, and closer national integration for the region long seen as remote and difficult to access.

This project stands as a symbol of perseverance and progress, linking Kashmir not just through rails but through renewed hope and opportunity.