PM inaugurates the significant Chenab Bridge and launches Vande Bharat in a major effort for Kashmir.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Chenab railway bridge, the world’s highest steel arch railway bridge spanning the Chenab river in Reasi district. This engineering wonder is a crucial component of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) initiative, which now effortlessly links the Kashmir Valley with the remainder of India by rail.

PM Modi also inaugurated two Vande Bharat Express trains connecting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar. Prior to launching the Vande Bharat Express that links Katra and Srinagar from Katra Railway Station, PM Modi engaged with students aboard the train. The Prime Minister also opened India’s inaugural cable-stayed railway bridge at the Anji river – the Anji Khad Bridge.

The Anji Bridge stands 331 meters above the riverbed and extends 725 meters in length. It is held up by 96 high-tensile cables and showcases a remarkable inverted Y-shaped pylon that rises 193 metres from its foundation. The bridge includes an impressive 653 kilometres of cable strands. What genuinely distinguishes this structure as an engineering wonder, though, is that it was finished in only 11 months.

After reaching the Air Force station in Udhampur, PM Modi took an aerial journey to the Chenab bridge location, where he launched the unique rail bridge. This marks PM Modi’s initial trip to Kashmir after Operation Sindoor, India’s response military action after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April that resulted in 26 fatalities.

The 1,315-metre-long Chenab bridge, towering at a height of 359 metres above the riverbed, is an architectural feat. Notably, the bridge surpasses the height of the Paris’ Eiffel Tower and forms a critical part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country aiming to transform regional mobility and driving socio-economic integration.