The Vande Bharat Express will include 11 AC 3-tier coaches, four AC 2-tier coaches, and one First AC coach, offering a comfortable and affordable travel experience.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Vande Bharat Express connecting New Delhi to Kashmir in January 2025. The train will travel along the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) and cross the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge. According to officials, the Vande Bharat Express train will directly connect the national capital to the valley starting January 2025, reported news agency PTI.
Confirming the news to Financial Express, Ravneet Singh, Minister of State for Railways, emphasized that the USBRL project, covering 272 kilometers, is nearing completion. With 255 kilometers already operational, the remaining 17-kilometer stretch between Katra and Reasi is likely to be completed by December 2024. “This project is a gift to the people of Kashmir, aiming to boost tourism, ease transport, and strengthen local businesses,” Ravneet Singh was quoted as saying by Financial Express.
“In January, as per the Prime Minister’s schedule, the inauguration will take place. According to railway officials, this project is expected to be completed by December this year,” Singh told reporters, news agency PTI reported. He further stated that the safety of people is paramount.
The Vande Bharat Express will include 11 AC 3-tier coaches, four AC 2-tier coaches, and one First AC coach, offering a comfortable and affordable travel experience. Ticket prices are likely to range between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,100. Additionally, the route will improve logistics for local produce such as fruits and flowers, allowing for faster delivery to Delhi markets. “We will take people from Delhi to Kashmir for just Rs 1,500 to Rs 2100. En route, we will stop in Jammu and Mata Vaishno Devi. This project has enormous tourism potential and will bring a tourism boom to the region,” Singh added.
“Every single aspect needs to be checked, and all these things are being thoroughly inspected on a large scale. Officers and technical teams are repeatedly visiting to ensure everything is up to standard. A lot of hard work has been put into this project, which is a massive undertaking. Once every aspect is verified, only then the date for its inauguration be decided,” he was quoted as saying to the news agency PTI.
Singh, who visited various sections of the project, including the Chenab Rail Bridge on Tuesday, stated, “We expect to start the train service to Kashmir in January next year. There is a huge load of trucks and vehicles on the highway, which gets closed during winters. This project will provide relief to the people of the valley, increase tourism and boost business. It is a gift to the people of Kashmir from the NDA government and the Prime Minister.”
He said that while the project was previously halted, work had been expedited over the past eight years and is now on track to be completed by December.
Delhi to Kashmir Vande Bharat Express: Check Features
- The Delhi to Kashmir Vande Bharat Express will have 11 AC 3-tier coaches, four AC 2-tier coaches, and one First AC coach.
- The USBRL project, almost complete, will link Kashmir with the rest of the country. Of the total 272 kilometers, 161 kilometers were earlier commissioned in phases — the 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla section in October 2009, the 18-km Banihal-Qazigund section in June 2013, and the 25-km Udhampur-Katra section in July 2014.
- The 48.1-km Banihal-Sangaldan stretch, part of the USBRL project, was dedicated to the public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2020.
- In June and July this year, several inspections were conducted on the track and railway stations. Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) D C Deshwal inspected the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section, which includes the world”s highest steel arch rail bridge over the Chenab and several major tunnels.
- The USBRL project, declared a “National Project” in 2002, spans 272 kilometers. The world”s highest railway bridge, located 359 meters above the Chenab riverbed, stands 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. Spanning over 1.3 kilometers, it forms a critical part of the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, a segment of the Kashmir Railway project.
- The Railway ministry sanctioned the construction of the railway line from Udhampur to Baramulla via Srinagar in phases — 25-km Udhampur to Katra in 1994, 118 km Qazigund to Baramulla and 129 km Katra to Qazigund in 1999.