New Delhi, May 15 – In a historic first, around 800 Indian Army personnel completed a full rail journey from Delhi to Srinagar, marking the operationalization of the entire Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. The soldiers, who were returning from leave and affected by flight cancellations, traveled via Katra, making them the first to complete the entire route by train.
According to defence sources, the personnel initially boarded a train from Delhi to Katra. From there, they transferred to another train for the roughly four-hour journey to Srinagar, a route made possible by the newly completed railway section.
The final trial run on the Katra-Srinagar segment was successfully conducted in January with a 22-coach train. Authorities have approved speeds of up to 85 kmph on the main line and 15 kmph through turnouts for both freight and passenger trains.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to inaugurate the Katra-Srinagar section last month, but the visit was postponed due to inclement weather.
The USBRL project, launched in 1997 to integrate Kashmir with the national railway network, has faced repeated delays due to the region’s difficult terrain and climatic conditions.
Out of the total 272 km, 209 km had been progressively made operational: the Qazigund-Baramulla segment in 2009, Banihal-Qazigund in 2013, Udhampur-Katra in 2014, and Banihal-Sangaldan in 2023. The crucial Sangaldan-Reasi stretch was completed in June 2023, while the final 17 km link between Reasi and Katra was finished in December 2024, fully realizing the vision of seamless rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
