Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday termed the upcoming inauguration of the train from Katra to Srinagar a “special day” for Jammu and Kashmir, saying the rail link will improve connectivity, boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities.

PM Modi today responded to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s post on reviewing preparations for the upcoming inauguration of the tallest railway bridge on the Chenab River.

“Tomorrow, 6th June is indeed a special day for my sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir. Key infrastructure projects worth Rs. 46,000 crores are being inaugurated which will have a very positive impact on people’s lives. In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Anji Bridge stands tall as India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge in a terrain that is challenging,” he posted on X.

“The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project ensures all weather connectivity and the Vande Bharat trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar will boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities,” he adds.

Earlier today, Omar visited Chenab Bridge and Katra and took a firsthand account of the things to oversee the preparations for the PM’s visit.

“Visited the tallest railway bridge in the world, The Chenab Bridge, to review arrangements for the visit of the Hon PM @narendramodi ji tomorrow. Tomorrow is a landmark day for J&K when, finally, the valley will be connected to the rest of the country by a railway link to be inaugurated at the hands of the Hon PM,” he wrote on X.

The countdown for the historic inauguration has already begun, which will start direct train service to Kashmir on Friday. PM Modi will flag off the first-ever train service from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) railway station at Katra towards Srinagar (SINA) railway station.

This will end the over-a-century-old wait of the people of Kashmir, who have so far only dreamt of this occasion, but now they are all set to see the light of day when a green signal will be given by Modi.

The prime minister will be landing at Udhampur Air Force Station at 10 am and will proceed towards the S-70 viewpoint. Thereafter, the historic events will begin with the PM’s visit to the world’s highest railway bridge at 11 am, and he will dedicate the same to the nation, followed by a visit to India’s longest cable-stayed Anji Khad Bridge. Both these bridges are engineering marvels, as the Chenab Bridge is taller than the Eiffel Tower of France.

At 11:45 am, the PM is expected to reach SMVD railway station, Katra, and will flag off the inaugural special Vande Bharat train no. 02401 towards Srinagar, for which the entire nation, in general, and the Kashmir Valley, in particular, have been waiting.

After that, he will drive towards the sports stadium in Katra, where people will be waiting to listen to the PM, who will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir for the first time after the Pahalgam terror attack, followed by Operation Sindoor. The function is expected to end around 2 pm, as the PM is scheduled to proceed towards Udhampur at 2:15 pm, and by 3:30 pm, he will be flying back to New Delhi from Udhampur.

Talking to media persons during his visit to Katra, Omar said, “We were waiting for a long time for this occasion. The work on this railway line was started when I was in school, probably in the seventh or eighth standard, and now my sons have also completed their education and are working. Now, we are at a stage when the PM will be coming and inaugurating the rail service.”

“With this, we all will benefit, as due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the supply of goods used to stop, people weren’t able to move, and airlines were looting us when they were selling Rs 5000 tickets for Rs 20000, but now all this will end. Our horticulture produce, including apples, cherries and other fruits, can be taken to the markets in a better way,” the CM said.

Commenting on the engineering marvels of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail-Link (USBRL) project, Omar said, “This rail project has set many records. Chenab Bridge is taller than Paris’s Eiffel Tower, and I was there today; the cable-stayed longest bridge in India, Anji Khad Bridge, and so many tunnels, which have been constructed especially between the Katra and Banihal stretch, are engineering marvels.”

He said that with the inauguration of the train service, tourism will benefit, trade will grow, the overall economy will be better, and everyone will benefit. “The prices of train tickets are not so high, and within four hours, one can reach Katra from Srinagar, and in a few months, when the work on platforms is completed at Jammu railway station, this train will be moving up to Jammu,” the chief minister added.

Meanwhile, the Indian railways today issued the train schedule between Katra and Srinagar and return. The inaugural Vande Bharat train 02401 will depart from SMVD Katra at 11:45 am on June 6 and will reach Sangaldan railway station at 12:45 pm, where it will have a halt for more than an hour to cross with train number 02402 coming from Srinagar. It will depart from Sangaldan at 1:55 pm and will reach Srinagar at 3:45 pm. From Srinagar, the Vande Bharat 02402 will depart at 11:45 am and will reach Katra at 2:50 pm.

For regular runs, the pair of train numbers 26404 and 26403 Vande Bharat will be running on six days except Wednesdays from either side, whereas another pair of Vande Bharat train numbers 26401 and 26402 Vande Bharat will be running for six days except Tuesdays. Both these pairs will have a stop at Banihal railway station.

The foolproof security has been put in place in all these places where the PM will be visiting, and also around Katra town. A three-tier security grid has been put in place, whereas the entire Reasi district and neighbouring Jammu and Udhampur districts have also put all the security arrangements in place.