Mon Mar 31 01:35:36 UTC 2025: ## Modi to Flag Off Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir on April 19th
**Jammu, March 31, 2025** – Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first Vande Bharat Express train to Kashmir on April 19th, marking the completion of the long-awaited Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link. The 272-kilometer project, initiated in 1997, overcame significant geological and logistical hurdles, including the construction of 38 tunnels (totalling 119 km) and 927 bridges (13 km combined length). This includes the world’s highest railway arch bridge, the Chenab Bridge, standing 359 meters above the riverbed.
The Vande Bharat Express will initially run from Katra to Srinagar, as Jammu station undergoes renovation. Trial runs have been successfully completed, and the Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the service in January. The new rail link is expected to drastically reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar, offering a modern and efficient transportation solution to the region. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the world’s highest railway bridge in Udhampur before flagging off the train from Katra. This development fulfills a long-standing demand for direct rail connectivity to Kashmir.
First Piper 