According to recent reports, the Indian government will soon launch a new Vande Bharat Express train connecting Delhi and Kashmir. This train will be operational from January 2025 and will underscore the completion of the USBRL (Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link) project.
Officials shared that most of the project work is finished, and the remaining is Tunnel T33 and the Reasi-Katra section, which will be completed by the end of 2024. This will start the decade-long dream of connecting Kashmir to the vast rail network of India.
Ravneet Singh, the Minister of State for Railways, shared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this Vande Bharat train on January 26, India’s Republic Day.
This project is truly an engineering marvel with 38 tunnels totalling 119 km, including India’s longest transport tunnel, 12.75km T-49. It also features 927 bridges, including the Chenab Bridge, the highest rail bridge in the world, standing 359m over the riverbed and surpassing the Eiffel Tower by 35 m.
Once the project is completed, Vande Bharat Express trains are expected to depart from New Delhi, at 7 p.m. and arrive in Srinagar by 8 a.m. the next morning. This train might make limited stops at major stations like Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jammu Tawi, and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.