Modi unveils Jammu railway division, Telangana terminal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded the country’s rapid advancement in connectivity as he inaugurated the Jammu railway division -- a key step towards linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country through rail network.

The PM also inaugurated the Charlapalli terminal station in Telangana and laid the foundation for the Rayagada railway division building in Odisha under the East Coast Railway zone virtually from Delhi.

The Jammu division, which has been carved out from the Firozpur division in Punjab, includes sections such as Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla, Bhogpur Sirwal-Pathankot, Batala-Pathankot and Pathankot to Joginder Nagar sections with the combined length of 742.1 km.

“As the railway network expands, setting up new divisions like Jammu will benefit regions like Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Leh-Ladakh. J&K is achieving new milestones in railway infrastructure, with the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line is being discussed all over the country today,” Modi said.

With the focus on bringing connectivity to the Valley, the railways had recently indicated that train operations between Jammu and Kashmir will start in the coming weeks, as it notified the timetable of one Vande Bharat and two mail or express trains. According to the schedule, the Vande Bharat train will depart daily from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) at 8.10am and arrive at Srinagar by 11.20am. For the return journey, it will leave Srinagar at 12.45pm and reach SVDK at 3.55pm. The other two trains will also operate round trips daily.

While the date of the first train connecting Jammu and Kashmir is yet to be announced, officials said, it is expected to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister by the month-end.

Modi further said the completion of the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge, will play a key role in connecting the region with the rest of India providing convenience to the people of Leh and Ladakh.

“The Chenab bridge and the Anji Khad bridge (country’s first cable-based railway bridge) are unparalleled examples of engineering leading to economic progress in the region and promoting prosperity,” he said.

Modi highlighted that since the beginning of 2025, India has been expediting its initiatives in connectivity, with its metro rail network expanding to over 1,000 kilometres. He also referred to the recent inauguration of the Namo Bharat train in Delhi-NCR along with the launch of Delhi Metro projects.

“The last decade has been historic in the transformation journey of the Indian Railways. There has been a visible change in India’s railway infrastructure. We are focused to improve the Indian Railways on four parameters — railway infrastructure modernisation, passenger facilities, connectivity, and employment generations — and the inauguration of a new division and terminal is a testimony of it,” the PM said.

Today’s event is a further testimony to the fact that the entire nation is moving forward together, step by step, as projects launched in Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha and Telangana mark a major leap in modern connectivity for the north, east and southern regions of the country, he stressed.

Reaffirming the “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (development for all) mantra, the PM expressed confidence that this vision is shaping a developed India.

Modi stressed that the work on modern rail networks like the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) is progressing faster in the country, highlighting that these special corridors would reduce pressure on the regular tracks and also create more opportunities for high-speed trains.

The PM said modern coaches are being developed for metros and railways. Stations are also being redeveloped, solar panels are being installed at stations, and “One Station, One Product” stalls are being set up at the railway stations. All these initiatives are generating millions of new employment opportunities in the railway sector, he said.

“Over the last decade, millions of young people have secured permanent government jobs in the railways. The demand for raw materials in factories producing new train coaches leads to more job opportunities in other sectors as well,” he added.

There is an increased demand for high-speed railways, he said. “Vande Bharat trains are operating on more than 50 routes… trial runs of Vande Bharat sleeper trains have shown the new version of these trains to operate at a speed of 180 kmph. Time will soon come when Bullet trains will be a reality.”

J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, who was present during the inaugural ceremony of the Jammu division, praised the PM for his efforts to improve connectivity and road network in the Union territory. He also allayed fears of any negative fallout on Jammu after the launch of direct rail service between Kashmir and the rest of the country.

“On behalf of my government, I want to assure the people of Jammu that the rail service to Kashmir will have no impact on the region. Rather, we assure that Jammu will benefit from it as it will enhance trade and tourism, besides increasing travel between the two regions,” Abdullah said.

Inaugurating the Charlapalli new terminal station in Telangana, PM Modi said that this station, connected to the Outer Ring Road, will significantly boost development in the region. “This railway station has an advanced feature of running entirely on solar power,” he said. “This is a step forward in creating sustainable infrastructure.”

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, who also participated in the programme virtually, expressed gratitude to the Centre for completing the new terminal and station at Cherlapalli, and requested it to take up construction of a greenfield highway and direct railway network between Hyderabad and Bandar port in Andhra Pradesh.

He said the state government had already proposed to develop Regional Ring Road (RRR) on a stretch of 370 km in the state and appealed to the Centre to extend cooperation in the construction of the same. He also made an appeal to the Centre to extend assistance for the construction of multiple new railway lines in the state.

Laying the foundation for the divisional railway manager (DRM) building for the Rayagada division in Odisha, Modi highlighted the state’s abundant natural resources and a large coastline, which, according to him, hold significant potentials for international trade.

Several railway projects worth over ₹70,000 crore are ongoing in the state, along with the establishment of seven Gati Shakti cargo terminals, which will boost trade and industry, he added.

(With inputs from Ravi Krishnan Khajuria in Jammu and Srinivasa Rao Apparasu in Hyderabad)