SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train service, a key component of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), in the first week of June 2025, sources told The News Now.
According to official communications reviewed by The News Now, the inauguration ceremony of the USBRL’s final section and the flagging-off of Vande Bharat Rake-21/2080 between Shri Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) and Srinagar (SINA) is slated to take place at SVDK in early June, likely on June 6.
Sources further confirmed that Prime Minister Modi is expected to travel to the Chenab Bridge—India’s highest railway bridge—before proceeding to Katra, where he will officially launch the high-speed train service that will connect the Kashmir Valley directly to the rest of the country by rail.
Authorities have been instructed to ensure smooth conduct of the event and update required personnel data by June 2, indicating the final preparations for what is considered a landmark achievement in the country’s railway infrastructure development.
The final stretch of the USBRL project was originally scheduled for inauguration in April but was deferred for undisclosed reasons. The section between Sangaldan and Katra, widely regarded as the most difficult terrain, has now been completed, making full rail connectivity to Kashmir a reality.
The USBRL project, developed at a cost of Rs 37,000 crore, includes 943 bridges and 36 main tunnels, including India’s longest railway tunnel (T-50), which stretches over 12.7 kilometres. The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat service will traverse both the Chenab Bridge, standing at 359 metres above mean sea level, and the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, 725 metres long and supported by 96 cables.
Earlier this month, in a historic first, around 800 Indian Army soldiers completed a full rail journey from Delhi to Srinagar via Katra, demonstrating the operational viability of the entire USBRL route.
The USBRL project has progressed in phases over the years: the Qazigund-Baramulla section was made operational in 2009, followed by Banihal-Qazigund in 2013, Udhampur-Katra in 2014, and Banihal-Sangaldan in 2023.
In January this year, a successful trial run involving a 22-bogie train including 18 AC coaches and two engines was conducted on the Katra-Budgam stretch under close supervision of railway officials, setting the stage for full-scale operations.
