📰 In News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), including the Chenab Rail Bridge, Anji Khad Bridge, and flagged off two specially designed Vande Bharat Express trains for Kashmir. This fulfills a century-old dream of railway connectivity to the Valley.

🚄 Key Highlights

📍 Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL)

• Length: 272 km
• Cost: ₹43,780 crore
• Features:
  • 36 tunnels (119 km total, incl. Tunnel T-50 – India’s longest transport tunnel, 12.77 km).
  • 943 bridges across valleys & mountain passes.
• All-weather connectivity for Kashmir with rest of India.
• Initiated: Foundation (1983, Indira Gandhi) → Formal approval (1994, P.V. Narasimha Rao) → Construction started (2005–06).

🏗️ Engineering Marvels

• Chenab Rail Bridge (Reasi, J&K):
  • World’s highest railway arch bridge (359 m above riverbed, taller than Eiffel Tower by 35 m).
  • Arch span: 467 m.
  • Cost: ₹1,456 crore.
  • Blast-proof, withstands -40°C & winds up to 266 km/h.
  • Built with DRDO inputs for strategic resilience.
• Anji Khad Bridge:
  • India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge.
  • Height: 331 m above riverbed.
  • Length: 725 m; Pylon height: 193 m.
  • Anchored with 96 high-tensile cables.
• Tunnel T-50:
  • Longest transport tunnel in India (12.77 km).
  • Equipped with CCTV every 50 m + escape passages for safety.

🚉 Vande Bharat Trains to Kashmir

• Train Nos: 26401/02 & 26403/04.
• Route: Katra ↔ Srinagar (via Banihal).
• Duration: ~2 hrs 58 mins.
• Frequency: 6 days/week (except Wednesday).
• Special Design for Kashmir:
  • Operates at -20°C.
  • Heated pipelines, insulated tanks, defrost windshields.
  • Enhanced safety & CCTV surveillance.

🏞️ Strategic Importance

• Ends dependence on costly air travel & blocked highways.
• Boosts tourism, trade, logistics & regional economy.
• Creates jobs in construction, logistics, and services.
• Security angle: Railway connectivity enhances mobility for civilians & forces in border state.
• Symbolic integration of Kashmir with rest of India.

🛤️ Institutional Development

• New Jammu Railway Division (2025):
  • HQ: Jammu city.
  • Carved out of Ferozepur Division.
  • Covers J&K, Ladakh, Himachal, parts of Punjab.
  • 11 key goods terminals for food grains, coal, cement & perishables.
    
    Updated : 06 Jun 2025, 12:07 pm | https://www.newindianexpress.com/