In big Kashmir push, PM Modi unveils world's highest railway bridge over Chenab
He is also scheduled to inaugurate India's first cable-stayed Anji bridge and flag off Vande Bharat trains to mark the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (June 6) inaugurated the world's tallest bridge over Chenab river ahead of dedicating to the nation the much-awaited Kashmir rail service.
After landing at the Air Force station in Udhampur, PM Modi flew to the Chenab bridge site to formally inaugurate the marvel. This visit marks his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir following Operation Sindoor, a military strike across the border in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in April that claimed 26 lives.
Watch | Vande Bharat crosses Chenab bridge in first run to Kashmir
The iconic structure, built across the Chenab river, is part of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project that now connects Kashmir with the rest of the country through rail.
Prime Minister Modi also flagged off a Vande Bharat train service between Katra and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, the first train connection between the Kashmir valley and the Jammu region. He inaugurated the train in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, among others.
According to Northern Railway, the train has two travelling classes -- Chair Car (CC) and Executive Class (EC) -- with tickets costing Rs 715 and Rs 1,320, respectively. The train will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, pilgrims among others.
Modi will also lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district.
The USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges.
The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration.
(With agency inputs)