Nearly 800 Army soldiers arrived in Srinagar by train on Tuesday, marking the first full rail journey from Delhi to the Kashmir Valley, The Print reported.
The soldiers, returning from leave, had been stranded at various locations due to flight cancellations. Thanks to the newly completed Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the troops were able to make the entire journey by train — a feat that was never possible before.
The train departed from Delhi, reached Katra, and then continued to Srinagar, with the final leg of the journey — from Katra to Srinagar — taking around four hours.
This is the first time a full through-rail movement has taken place since the USBRL project was completed, finally connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India by train.
The project has been called a strategic and engineering marvel, overcoming difficult terrain and weather over two decades.
In January 2025, a successful trial run between Katra and Srinagar was conducted with a 22-coach train. Now, railway authorities have approved a top speed of 85 km/h on the main line and 15 km/h on turnouts for both passenger and freight trains.
The final 17-km stretch between Reasi and Katra was completed in December 2024, completing the 272-km-long USBRL project that began way back in 1997. The journey to completion faced delays due to the region’s complex geology, landslides, and weather challenges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate the final Katra–Srinagar section in January, but his visit was postponed due to bad weather.
