Modi opens ambitious rail project connecting Kashmir to rest of India

Gulf Today

16 hours ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated one of the most ambitious railway projects ever built in India, which will connect the Kashmir Valley to the vast Indian plains by train for the first time.
Dubbed by government-operated Indian Railways as one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the 272-kilometre line begins in the garrison city of Udhampur in Jammu region and runs through Jammu and Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. The line ends in Baramulla, a town near the highly militarised Line of Control.
The line travels through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges. The Indian government pegged the total project cost at around $5 billion.
One of the project's highlights is a 1,315-metre-long (4,314-foot) steel and concrete bridge above the Chenab River connecting two mountains with an arch 359 metres (1,177 feet) above the water. Indian Railways compared the height to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands 330 metres (1,082 feet), and said the bridge is built to last 120 years and endure extreme weather, including wind speeds up to 260kph (161 mph).
Narendra Modi (C), with other dignitaries, after the inauguration ceremony of the Chenab Rail Bridge in Kashmir. AFP
Modi visited the Chenab bridge with tight security, waving an Indian tri-colour flag before boarding a test train that passed through picturesque mountains and tunnels to reach an inauguration ceremony for another high-elevation bridge named Anji.
After opening the unprecedented projects for the public, PM Modi addressed the large gathering and described them as the ones reflecting the new strength and power of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line projects, these are not just names, these are the identity of the new power of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a proclamation of the new power of India," Modi said.
A Kashmiri schoolboy along with his teacher travel in Vande Bharat Express train from Srinagar after it was inaugurated by Narendra Modi on Friday. AP
Modi highlighted the umpteen challenges that the engineers and workers faced in bringing this project to life and also spoke about the government's resolve and commitment in bringing prosperity to Kashmir.
"This project was immensely challenging, given the difficult terrain. But, our government chose to challenge the challenges," he said.
The prime minister also helped launch a pair of new trains called "Vande Bharat" that will halve the travel time between Srinagar and the town of Katra in Jammu to about three hours from the usual six to seven hours by road.
Narendra Modi visits Chenab Rail Bridge during the inauguration of the Kashmir rail link. AFP
Modi travelled to Kashmir on Friday for the first time since a military conflict between India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of their third war over the region last month, when the countries fired missiles and drones at each other.
The conflict began with a gun massacre in late April that left 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Jammu and Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied.
"This is a symbol and celebration of rising India," Modi said of the Chenab Bridge which connects two mountains.
A decorated Vande Bharat Express train which will run between Katra and Srinagar is parked at a station in Sangaldan after it was inaugurated by Narendra Modi. AP
Modi called it "an extraordinary feat of architecture" that "will improve connectivity" by providing the first rail link from the Indian plains up to mountainous Kashmir.
It is expected to halve the travel time between the town of Katra in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, to around three hours.
The new route will facilitate the movement of people and goods, as well as troops, that was previously possible only via treacherous mountain roads and by air.
'VERY SPECIAL MOMENT'
It was a moment of immense pride and excitement for a group of students who had an opportunity to meet PM Modi onboard the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express connecting Katra to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
Narendra Modi interactsg with school children inside the Vande Bharat train during its inauguration. AFP
These students, selected through various competitions, were among the first passengers of the high-speed train flagged off by the PM, and shared their overwhelming experiences.
One student remarked, "He interacted with us and asked what we did to get the chance to come here. There were many competitions, like poem recitation and drawing, from which we were selected. I felt very proud after meeting our Prime Minister. He is such a famous personality, and it is very rare to meet someone like him."
"It felt very special and made me feel extremely proud because he is the Prime Minister of the country...He was in front of us....Not everyone gets the opportunity to meet him," she added.
Another student from Delhi Public School (DPS) Katra said, "I never thought of meeting PM Modi in my lifetime. He is my idol, and I felt very nice and fortunate to meet him. He asked us what competitions we participated in, and we told him how we got selected. After winning these competitions, we got the opportunity to enter the train and meet the PM."
Agencies