Historical moment! Vande Bharat Express left for Kashmir, PM Modi flagged it off; 130-year-old dream comes true.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off Vande Bharat from Katra railway station to Srinagar. In this way, now Kashmir is connected to Kanyakumari by rail. PM Modi earlier inaugurated the Chenab Bridge in Reasi. It is the world's highest rail bridge. This bridge has played an important role in bringing trains to Kashmir.

The Chenab Bridge is an arch bridge made of steel and concrete. It connects Bakkal and Kauri villages of Reasi district. It has a major contribution in rail connectivity to Kashmir. The special thing is that this bridge is five times higher than the Qutub Minar. Along with this, it is 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

After the Chenab Bridge, PM Modi also inaugurated India's first cable-stayed Anji Bridge. The dream of bringing rail to Kashmir has been fulfilled under the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project. This was the last phase of the project, which took 70 years to complete.

Talked to school students

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted with school children aboard the train before flagging off the Vande Bharat Express from Katra railway station to Srinagar. He also spoke to the railway employees present on the train. Earlier, while inspecting the Chenab Bridge, PM Modi went to the viewpoint near the bridge, where officials gave him information related to the project. Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnav and Jitendra Singh and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were also present with him.

What is the USBRL Rail Project?

Work was done under the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (What is USBRL) to bring the train to Kashmir. It includes the world's highest rail bridge Chenab Bridge, which is 359 meters above the river. Along with this, the cable-stayed Anji Khad Bridge is also included. This bridge is at a height of 331 meters. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is considered a new marvel in engineering.

It was a 130-year-old dream.

The dream of a train to Kashmir is not a decade old one. Rather, it is more than a century old. According to Vikramaditya Singh, grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh and son of former Sadar-e-Riyasat Karan Singh, he is proud that the plan of the Dogra ruler 130 years ago has finally come true. It was a project that remained incomplete for more than a century. But now the dream of a train to Kashmir has been fulfilled.