Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project to trigger all-round development of J&K: Jitendra Singh

New Delhi, Jun 3: The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project, set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, will trigger all-round development of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Singh said the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project will lead to an increase in trade, the creation of jobs, and an ecosystem for the development of Jammu and Kashmir.

"This will also help Jammu and Kashmir become a key player in the development story of India," Singh said.

The minister said the 272-km USBRL project will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 and will link the Kashmir valley to the rest of the country.

The work on the project to link Kashmir by train started in 1997 and has missed several deadlines. The geological and topographical challenges led to cost escalation and its completion at a cost of over Rs 41,000 crore.

Out of the total 272-km USBRL project, 209 km was commissioned in phases with the first phase of the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section commissioned in October 2009 followed by 18-km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013, 25-km Udhampur-Katra in July 2014 and 48.1-km Banihal-Sangaldan stretch in February last year.

The work on the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section was also completed in June last year, leaving a 17-km stretch between Reasi and Katra which was finally completed in December 2024.

Singh said the Chenab Rail Bridge, which is part of the USBRL project, was an engineering marvel and the world's highest rail bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower.

Singh, who represents J&K's Udhampur in the Lok Sabha, said experts from the world over would come to study the bridge.