Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate Kashmir rail link today
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi
is scheduled to inaugurate the Chenab and Anji Khad railway bridges in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on June 6 that connect Kashmir Valley with the country's railway network.
The Chenab bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge built between Bakkal and Kauri villages in Reasi district, is five times higher than Delhi's Qutub Minar and several meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This will be PM's first visit to J&K after the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
'Jammu-Kashmir is ready to witness history being made — just two more days…The biggest civil engineering challenge of Indian Railways so far has now become our pride! On June 6, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji will inaugurate the world's highest Chenab Bridge,' Union minister Jitendra Singh posted on X. He said this is not just a bridge, but the identity of a self-reliant India and the foundation of a bright future.
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This railway link to Kashmir is part of the ambitious border infrastructure development plan of the central government aimed at providing all-weather connectivity to the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. Earlier this year, the PM inaugurated the 6.5-km long Z-Morh tunnel on Srinagar-Leh highway in Gagangir area of Ganderbal district in central Kashmir for round-the-year connectivity to Sonamarg and further to Ladakh.
In October 2024, seven workers, including a doctor, who worked at the construction site of Z-Morh, were killed. The Zojila tunnel, also in Sonamarg, that would provide round the year connectivity to Ladakh, is also in the final phase of construction.
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Other than the people-to-people connect, these projects will ensure smooth movement of the armed forces personnel and their equipment towards the border areas both in J&K and Ladakh, which are prone to militant attacks. The inauguration of this railway link was delayed a few times by the authorities due to unknown reasons. The Pir Panchal mountains from where this railway link passes has seen an uptick in militant activity over the past few years and mostly foreign infiltrators are active in this area. Officials informed that all the tunnels are under CCTV surveillance and every stretch of the track would be monitored round the clock.
On June 6, the PM will dedicate the Chenab rail bridge to the public and is likely to travel by train to Katra and en route, will inspect India's first cable-stayed bridge over Anji Khad. The PM is likely to interact with the railway engineers, including retired employees, involved in the project. At Katra, he will flag off the Vande Bharat train from Katra to north Kashmir's Baramulla and another from Baramulla to Katra, signalling the completion of the project to link Kashmir by railway network. He is likely to address a public rally as well.
The train operates along the 272 km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), with over two dozen tunnels and 49 small and big bridges in the Katra-Banihal section. The train will provide all-weather connectivity to Kashmir as the only highway connecting Jammu with Kashmir was acutely affected by harsh weather conditions, landslides, snow and rainfall in winter months. The travel time between Delhi and Srinagar will be around 13 hours, but for now the passengers have to change trains at Katra station and go through fresh security checks.
This was declared as a project of national importance in March 2002. Construction work on the bridge began in 2004 but was suspended in 2008-09 considering the safety issues due to frequent high-velocity winds in the area.
However, the work was resumed in 2010 and once completed, the bridge will be able to withstand wind speeds up to 260 kilometers per hour. 'The bridge has a lifespan of 120 years,' said a civil engineer, who has worked on Chenab Bridge for over eight years now.
As per Indian Railways, the bridge falls under seismic zone IV. The construction of the bridge is hailed as a major step towards railway connectivity. While it also has a security set-up against any possible terror attack, the bridge can withstand 8 magnitude earthquakes and high-intensity blasts.
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