Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The last connecting rail route for the Vande Bharat train service, which is anticipated to start operating in January 2025, was inspected by the Commissioner of Railway Safety on Monday. It runs from Reasi to Banihal town. In the first week of January 2025, the crucial Reasi-Banihal train route will undergo its final inspection, making the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla train Link (USBRL) project operationally ready. As part of the Commissioner of Railway Safety’s technical safety approval process, the two-day inspection began on Monday and will continue on Tuesday.
A group of rail safety specialists will accompany Commissioner of Railway Safety Dinesh Chand Deswal to inspect and approve all aspects of the project’s infrastructure. The train chugged between the railway stations of Sangaldan and Reasi in June of this year, marking the completion of the Katra-Banihal section’s final trial run. The Kodi to Katra link, which includes the cable bridge across Anji Khad, is part of Tuesday’s inspection. The USBRL’s most ambitious and amazing feature is the railway bridge above the Chenab River, which is 359 meters higher than the Paris Eiffel Tower and the tallest railway bridge in the world. This bridge was built with 30,000 tonnes of steel and a Rs 1486 core.
The dream project will give a major boost to the economy of the Valley, especially the horticulture sector. The project will provide the cheapest possible transportation of apples etc to the terminal markets in the rest of the country. It will also come as the fulfilment of the dreams of industrialists and businessmen in addition to students and the common citizen. The Vande Bharat train is expected to take around 12 hours to complete the distance from Delhi to Srinagar.
