Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jitendra Singh, arrived in Katra on Thursday to oversee final preparations ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Friday.
The prime minister is set to inaugurate the iconic Chenab Rail Bridge and India’s first cable-stayed Anji Bridge—hallmarks of the nation's engineering
prowess—as part of the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), which will provide direct train connectivity to the Kashmir Valley. He will also flag off two specially-designed Vande Bharat trains and launch or dedicate various infrastructure projects worth over ₹46,000 crore.
“Tomorrow marks a historic milestone as PM Modi will dedicate to the nation the complete Jammu-Srinagar railway line, along with the landmark Chenab and Anji bridges,” said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. “This realises a long-pending dream of connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country by rail.”
The prime minister will flag off two specially-designed Vande Bharat trains that will not only connect Jammu and Srinagar but also facilitate the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, the minister said.
The prime minister’s itinerary also includes laying the foundation stone for several key projects from Katra, which serves as the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine.
Vaishnaw earlier inspected the Jammu railway station, which is undergoing massive renovation, and said it will have a state-of-the-art bridging facility like many places in the world, under which travellers can change from a normal train to a specially-designed high-altitude train.
"The specially-designed Vande Bharat trains are meant to travel between Srinagar and Jammu but for the time being, these will run between Katra and Srinagar as the work on the Jammu railway station is underway.
"The work at the Jammu railway station is likely to be completed by September and accordingly, the service will be shifted back to Jammu," Vaishnaw said.
Earlier, Abdullah and Singh together visited the iconic Chenab bridge site and other venues of the prime minister's daylong programme to review the arrangements.
"Last minute touches at the site of the inauguration of the world's highest railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge, by PM Narendra Modi tomorrow," Singh wrote on X, also sharing pictures of his visit to the bridge along with Abdullah.
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