Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 111-kilometre Katra-Banihal section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) on Friday. This completes the long-awaited railway route connecting Kashmir with the rest of India. For the first time, passengers can now travel directly by train from any part of the country to Srinagar.
Until now, trains terminated at Katra, and travellers had to switch to road or air transport to reach the Kashmir Valley. Starting today, two Vande Bharat Express trains will run through this section. These trains will cross three major thrust zones—Reasi, Muree and Panjal—and pass over the Chenab and Anji rivers.
Bridges and Tunnels Mark Engineering Breakthrough
Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) executed the Katra-Banihal section. The project involved over 310 engineers and workers, advanced construction methods and constant design adjustments due to challenging terrain.
Out of the 111-km stretch, 97.42 km lie in tunnels. Tunnel No. 50, the longest railway transportation tunnel in India at 12.77 km, connects Khari and Sumber. Engineers built three access tunnels to manage construction from multiple faces. The tunnel includes a parallel escape route and CCTV cameras installed every 50 metres.
The route features 37 bridges, including 26 major ones. Anji Bridge is India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge with 96 cables. Chenab Bridge, at 359 metres above the riverbed, is the world’s highest railway bridge. Its construction used 29,000 metric tonnes of steel and a cable car system to build the arch.
Railway Link to Boost Connectivity and Growth
Bridge 39 houses the Reasi station yard and features seven tall piers, the highest at 103 metres. Bridge 43, with a curved alignment, supports the Salal station yard and stands on a steep slope using a hybrid foundation.
The section includes 16 tunnels between Katra and Dharam, built using NATM and other techniques. The USBRL project, sanctioned in 1994-95, spans 272 km. Before the new section opened, trains ran on the remaining 161 km from both ends.
With this inauguration, the decades-long dream of connecting Kashmir to the Indian railway network is now reality. The Katra-Banihal section will boost tourism, trade, and strategic movement. It strengthens ties between Kashmir and the rest of India and brings new development opportunities to the region.
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