PM Modi likely to flag off Vande Bharat Express to Srinagar next week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Vande Bharat Express from Katra to Srinagar next week.

Northern Railways chief public relations officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyaya said, “Though no date has been decided yet, the Vande Bharat between Katra and Srinagar will be inaugurated soon.”

He said that trial runs of the train are being conducted daily. “Since the Katra-Banihal rail section is new, extra trials are being conducted to ensure additional security,” said Upadhyaya.

“Though commissioner of railways’ safety has already given an authorisation letter, the requisite improvements pointed out in the letter are being carried out,” he said.

On January 15, following a series of successful trial runs of passenger and freight trains, the commissioner of railway safety (northern circle), Dinesh Chand Deshwal, had given the go-ahead to commission the 17-km rail track between Katra and Reasi.

The section was the toughest in the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project.

Meanwhile, ahead of inauguration of the Katra-Banihal track, director general of police Nalin Prabhat on Monday visited Reasi for a security review of the newly laid track.

The DGP inspected the 17-km track and visited the world’s highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab river at Kauri village. He inspected the country’s first cable-stayed rail bridge over the Anji river.

On January 4, USBRL project chief administrative officer Sandeep Gupta and senior rail officials had conducted the first trial run of an electric train from Katra to Banihal.