PM to flag off 1st train between Katra-Srinagar on Apr 19 — day Aryabhata sat was launched in 1975

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the first train between Katra in Jammu and Srinagar in Kashmir on April 19, barely weeks after inaugurating the Pamban railway bridge in the country’s southern most part. The PM will also inaugurate the Chenab bridge in Kashmir on that day. The date gains significance considering that India had launched its first satellite — Aryabhata — on April 19 in 1975.

Modi had described the Chenab bridge as an “unparalleled” example of engineering. Moreover, the flagging off the commercial operation of the first train between Kashmir and Jammu will mark the beginning of full rail connectivity from the Valley to the rest of the country.

The Northern Railway has been conducting the trial run of trains between Kashmir and Jammu for more than two months. At present, train services in Kashmir are limited to the Sangaldan-Baramulla section, while long-distance trains terminate at Katra.

The bridge over the Chenab river is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower. Officials said around 29,000 tonnes steel has been used in the construction of the bridge. They added that construction of the bridge was challenging because the area falls in earthquake-prone region and so its design and construction were done in such a way that even if an eight-magnitude earthquake occurs it will not affect the bridge.

To begin with, the railways will run one Vande Bharat train between Katra and Srinagar, which will enable travellers to cover the stretch in just over three hours. This line and the train has been designed in such a way that even if the temperature drops below zero degree Celsius in Kashmir, connectivity will not be impacted.