SRINAGAR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir from Katra on 19 April.
Pathania, who represents Udhampur East said, “This will mark a significant moment in the political, social, and economic context of Kashmir. Connecting Kashmir by rail has been a longstanding goal. We will welcome Prime Minister Modi on 19 April.”
Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed that the Prime Minister will flag off the first Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir from Katra on 19 April. He added, “Train services for the inaugural Vande Bharat will begin from Katra on a temporary basis, as construction at the Jammu railway station is ongoing.”
In the last week of January this year, Indian Railways conducted a trial run of the first Vande Bharat train from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) railway station to Srinagar railway station.
The train will pass over the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world. The train has been built to operate in the cold climate of Kashmir.
Completion of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project will reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar.
The new Vande Bharat Express is expected to reduce the travel time from the current 6–7 hours by road to approximately 3 hours.
At present, train services operate between Srinagar and Sangaldan in the Valley. —(KNO)
