PM’s J&K visit on April 19 to inaugurate Srinagar-Katra train service postponed

By: Umaisar Gull Ganie

Qazigund: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir on April 19 for the inauguration of the much-awaited Vande Bharat Express from Katra to Srinagar has been postponed, officials said on Monday.

Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the PM’s visit to inaugurate the Vande Bharat Express on a stretch of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272-km-long mega railway project, has been postponed.

Preparations were already underway for the high-profile visit, with mock drills and trial runs being conducted on the USBRL section.

Speaking to KNO, Chief Area Manager (CAM) Kashmir, Saqib Yousuf Yatoo (IRTS), confirmed the postponement of the PM’s visit, stating that no fresh date has been announced yet.

The Vande Bharat Express, specially designed to operate in sub-zero temperatures of the Kashmir Valley, is already stationed at Katra. The train consists of eight fully air-conditioned coaches equipped with cab heating, HVAC systems with 9kW heating capacity, sealed gangways, infotainment displays, CCTV surveillance, LED lighting, mobile charging ports, automatic plug doors, and electro-pneumatic brakes.

Although the train is capable of running at speeds up to 160 km/h, it will operate at a limited speed of 85 km/h between Katra and Srinagar, as per the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) approval.

Officials said the journey will reduce travel time between the two cities to just three hours, compared to the current 6–7 hours by road.

The USBRL project spans 272 km and includes 119 km of tunnels. It connects major areas including Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, and Baramulla. Two iconic engineering marvels—the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, and the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge—are part of this ambitious project.

The Chenab Bridge stands at 467 meters, making it 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. Officials revealed that around 29,000 tonnes of steel were used in its construction. Designed to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 8, the bridge posed significant engineering challenges due to its location in a high-seismic zone.

Approved in 1994–95 and declared a National Project in 2002, the USBRL has been completed in phases. Key sections such as Qazigund–Baramulla (2009), Banihal–Qazigund (2013), Udhampur–Katra (2014), and Banihal–Sangaldan (2020) have already been commissioned. A trial run of MEMU trains was also successfully conducted last year on the electrified Reasi–Sangaldan section.

Currently, train services in the Valley are operational only on the Sangaldan–Baramulla section, while long-distance trains terminate at Katra—(KNO)