PM Modi’s visit to Jammu postponed amid weather concerns

Jammu, Apr 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Jammu province on April 19 has been postponed due to an adverse weather forecast.

The fresh dates for the visit and inauguration ceremony will be announced soon.

A senior Police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development.

“The visit has been postponed given the weather prediction. No further comments,” the official said.

According to officials from the Meteorological Department, dry conditions will persist across most parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

However, beginning Wednesday, light to moderate rain or thundershowers are expected in isolated areas.

“The intensity of the wet spell is likely to increase on April 18 and 19,” MeT officials said. “Widespread rainfall is expected in Kashmir, while Jammu region may witness fairly widespread precipitation.”

The PM was scheduled to inaugurate the first-ever Vande Bharat Express connecting Katra with Srinagar during his visit.

The much-anticipated train service was set to fulfil a long-cherished dream of linking Kashmir with the Indian Railways network.

On the inauguration day, two Vande Bharat Express trains – one from Srinagar to Katra and another in the reverse direction - were planned to run.

A successful trial run of the Vande Bharat train on the Katra-Sangaldan section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (USBRL) was conducted on Tuesday.

This marked a significant milestone in the completion of the 272-km-long railway line connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Currently, the train operates between Sangaldan in Ramban district and Baramulla via Srinagar.

The stretch between Sangaldan and Katra, originally scheduled to become operational on April 19, is crucial for the full connectivity of the region.

The Katra-Sangaldan section includes engineering marvels such as the world’s tallest railway bridge over the Chenab River – standing at 359 meters from the river bed, 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower - and India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge.

Also part of this section is the country’s longest railway tunnel at 12.75 km on the Katra-Banihal stretch, followed by the 11-km Pir Panjal tunnel, which connects Banihal in Jammu with Qazigund in Kashmir.

The Indian Railways had earlier conducted a trial run of the Vande Bharat train from Katra to Srinagar on January 23 this year.

The high-tech train is equipped with advanced safety features, including surveillance cameras along the track, particularly in tunnels and bridges.

Designed to withstand extreme weather, the fully air-conditioned Vande Bharat train includes a special defrosting mechanism to prevent frost buildup on the windshield and an optimised air-brake system for sub-zero temperatures.

Once operational, the train will take approximately 13 hours to travel between Delhi and Srinagar, while the journey between Katra and Srinagar will be completed in just two hours and 10 minutes.