PM Modi opens world’s highest rail bridge, flags off Kashmir’s first Vande Bharat

In a landmark moment for India’s infrastructure and national integration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 inaugurated the Chenab rail bridge — the world’s highest railway arch — marking the final link in a 42-year-old mission to connect the Kashmir valley to the rest of the country via rail.

Standing tall at 359 metres above the riverbed — taller than the Eiffel Tower — the Chenab bridge crowns the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (USBRL), one of independent India’s most ambitious railway projects. Modi also flagged off the inaugural Vande Bharat Express between Katra and Srinagar, Kashmir’s first high-speed rail service.

"This bridge is not just steel and concrete—it’s a symbol of resolve, resilience, and a new era of connectivity for Jammu and Kashmir," Modi said, flanked by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and other dignitaries.

Constructed over decades and across daunting Himalayan terrain, the USBRL cuts through 36 tunnels and rides over 943 bridges — including the engineering marvel over the Chenab. The line is now fully electrified, spanning 272 kilometers and connecting distant mountain communities with India’s national railway grid.

Segment by segment, the project has stitched together the region: Qazigund-Baramulla (2009), Qazigund-Banihal (2013), Udhampur-Katra (2014), and most recently Banihal-Sangaldan (2024), culminating with the final link inaugurated today.

Designed for harsh winters and steep gradients, the Vande Bharat trains introduced on the route are winter-hardened—equipped with heated windshields, advanced insulation, and cold-resistant technologies that can endure temperatures as low as minus 20°C.

Officials say the railway will not only slash travel time, but also catalyze trade, tourism, and economic development across the Union Territory.

More than just a transportation milestone, the rail line is being seen as a transformative force—connecting lives and livelihoods, unlocking access, and redrawing the map of opportunity in Kashmir’s high mountains.