The Vande Bharat Express has successfully achieved a speed of 100 kmph over the world's highest Chenab Railway Bridge and India's first cable-stayed Anji Bridge. This significant speed enhancement on the 111-km Katra-Banihal section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link project will reduce travel time and improve rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
After the Chenab bridge, Modi also inaugurated India's first cable-stayed rail bridge over the river Anji. The prime minister then walked on the Chenab rail bridge holding the tricolour.
"Not only that, Pakistan is also the enemy of poor's bread and butter. What happened on April 22 in Pahalgam is an example of that. Pakistan attacked 'insaniyat' and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam.
Sinha said the inauguration of the Kashmir rail service has connected the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country and will pave the way for the economic prosperity of the region.
Modi will start his visit on June 6 by dedicating to public the Chenab rail bridge, which is a key part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL) that will provide direct train connectivity to the valley.
The inauguration of the Chenab Bridge on June 6 marks a historic milestone in India's infrastructure journey, completing the decades-long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line project.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's April 19 visit to Jammu and Kashmir, security has been significantly tightened across the region, especially along the Jammu-Srinagar highway and key infrastructure sites.
While the BJP went back to the drawing board to recraft its political and governance outreach and regained momentum by notching up surprisingly big wins in a string of assembly polls, the burst of fresh optimism in the main opposition Congress and other INDIA bloc parties fizzled out.
The delayed timing of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's admission has more to do with deflecting the thrust of the Opposition attack on the prime minister and Union home minister during the monsoon session of Parliament, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two specially designed Vande Bharat trains between Katra town and Srinagar city, reducing travel time between the two places by two to three hours and ensuring all-weather surface connectivity with the Kashmir valley.
The train, on its maiden trial run, arrived at Srinagar station in the Nowgam area on Srinagar's outskirts from Katra in Jammu.
To accommodate the huge number of devotees, a high-tech kitchen has been established at Baba Satyapal Maharaj's pandal, ensuring seamless food preparation and distribution.
There are challenges galore before him, and it is not going to be easy. In the next four years, he has to conjure a system that changes the optics about him and the BJP both nationally and internationally so that he can ride back on his own, claim the top slot, and not have to lean on a coalition, asserts Ramesh Menon as Modi 3.0 completes a year in power.
The new Vande Bharat Express train is specially designed to operate seamlessly in Jammu & Kashmir's challenging winter conditions for the upcoming Katra-Srinagar rail route.
