Vande Bharat Express: Kashmir is going to get its first Vande Bharat Express. Railways successfully completed the trial run of USBRL. Now preparations are being made to run semi high speed train on it.
Vande Bharat Express: The country’s most beautiful and modern train will soon be seen running in the beautiful valleys of Kashmir. Railways has decided to run semi high speed train Vande Bharat Express in Kashmir. This will be the country’s 49th Vande Bharat train. It will be run on Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL).
Trial run successful
Last week, Northern Railway conducted a trial run of USBRL between Banihal and Khari railway stations in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, which was successful. According to reports, along with this a decision has also been taken to run Vande Bharat on this track. This electric train with eight coaches will be the first Vande Bharat Express of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
What will be the benefit to the passengers?
Once connected to the railway line, the journey from Jammu to Srinagar will be only 3.5 hours. Also, passengers will be able to enjoy a safe, scenic and comfortable journey in every season. Besides, the farmers of Kashmir will also be able to easily transport many other crops including apples to other parts of the country. Apart from this, possibilities of tourism are also being explored at many other places including Chenab Bridge.
Kashmir will be connected to railways
In March this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had announced that the USBRL work would be completed by December 2023 or January 2024. After this, a Vande Bharat Express will be run between Jammu and Srinagar. On March 26, Ashwini Vaishnav traveled by trolley on the track laid on the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River. Railway officials were also present with him.
The height of the arch bridge above Chenab river is 359 meters.
The height of this magnificent arch bridge above the Chenab River is 359 meters, which is higher than the Eiffel Tower of Paris. During this visit, the Railway Minister had also announced the opening of a maintenance facility for Vande Bharat Express in Budgam, Kashmir and a special training academy for engineers in Jammu.
What is the importance of USBRL?
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) is a 272 km long railway track. It will connect Jammu with Kashmir valley. 38 tunnels (119 km) have been built in this project. The longest tunnel among these is T-49, whose length is 12.75 km. This is the longest tunnel of the country. Besides, 927 bridges (13 km) have also been built on this track. Railway’s first cable bridge is also being built on the same track at Anji Khad.
