Jammu: Ahead of its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 19, a special Vande Bharat train’s trial run was successfully conducted on Tuesday on the Katra-Sangaldan section of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (USBRL) which connects Kashmir with the rest of the country.
The trial run is part of the final arrangements for the inauguration of the world’s highest railway bridge on the Chenab River, which falls in the Katra-Sangaldan section of the prestigious railway project, officials said.
PM Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat train from Jammu to Srinagar via Katra. The trial run of the special Vande Bharat train took place on the Katra-Sangaldan section on Tuesday, the officials said.
The Prime Minister is expected to travel in the train on this bridge as part of the inauguration.
He will later flag off the first train to Kashmir from Katra to begin the operation of train services between Katra and Baramulla and connect Kashmir with the rest of the country, they said.
A multi-tier security setup has been put in place along the track and at vital locations in the Katra-Sangaldan section, as well as along the entire track to Kashmir, they said.
“We have made full preparations and now this USBRL section is ready for the inauguration and flag-off ceremony. This entire area is very important from the religious, tourism and connectivity points of view of Kashmir,” a senior railway official said.
The official further said two Vande Bharat Express trains — one from Srinagar to Katra and another from Katra to Srinagar — will run on the inauguration day.