J&K News: Vande Bharat Trial Run Successful On Katra-Sangaldan Rail Stretch; Visuals Surface

Katra (J&K): Trial runs of the Vande Bharat train on the Katra- Sangaldan link were conducted today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the final section of the Katra-Sangaldan stretch of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272-km project, on April 19.

The stretch includes the iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, enabling direct rail connectivity between New Delhi and Kashmir via Katra.

#WATCH | Reasi, J&K | PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the final section of Katra to Sangaldan stretch of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272-kilometre-long project, on April 19.

The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, will be… pic.twitter.com/e6EsHOdnyP

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025

#WATCH | Katra, J&K | Trial run of Vande Bharat Train conducted on the Katra-Sangaldan Link.

PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the final section of the Katra-Sangaldan stretch of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272-km project, on April 19. pic.twitter.com/P3U1lhSXoj

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025

Statement Of A Resident Of Bakkal Village

A resident of Bakkal village near the bridge said, "This bridge is in our vicinity. On April 19, PM Modi will inaugurate this bridge. We are so happy; everyone in the village is so happy. The construction of this bridge generated a lot of employment opportunities, and even after the inauguration, we will get employment opportunities."

On April 10, Dilip Kumar, the Railway Board's Executive Director of Information & Publicity (ED/IP), highlighted the significance of the 272-kilometre USBRL (Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link) project, which includes a 119-kilometre tunnel.

Speaking to ANI, Kumar asserted that the project is expected to boost connectivity, tourism, and religious significance for the Kashmir region.

"It has been the dream of every Indian to have a train running to Kashmir. For this, we have made long preparations, and now this USBRL section is ready. There is a 119-kilometre tunnel in this 272-kilometre section. This entire area is very important from the religious, tourism, and connectivity point of view of Kashmir," Kumar said.

He further pointed out that on the day of its inauguration, two Vande Bharat Express trains will begin service, one running from Srinagar and the other from Katra to Srinagar.

"On the date of commencement of the project, we have planned to run two Vande Bharat Express trains. One Vande Bharat Express train will run from Srinagar, and the other will run from Katra to Srinagar," the Railway Board Executive Director said.

On January 23, Indian Railways conducted the trial run of the first Vande Bharat train from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) railway station to the Srinagar railway station. The train will run through Anji Khad Bridge, India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and Chenab Bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world.

This train has been designed keeping in mind the cold climate conditions of the Kashmir valley.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)