Key Points

Calling it a "great day", PM Modi said the achievement is set to boost "progress and prosperity" in the region. "Great day for commerce and connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir!" PM Modi shared in a post on the social media platform X. "It will enhance both progress and prosperity," he added.

Creating a historical milestone in goods transportation of Kashmir, the first freight train reached Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag town on Saturday. This also marks the operational debut of the Banihal–Sangaldan–Reasi–Katra section of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

"The first freight train reached the newly commissioned Anantnag Goods Shed in the Kashmir Valley from Punjab, marking a significant milestone in connecting the Kashmir region to the national freight network," Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw shared on X. "Transportation by railway network will reduce cost for our citizens living in the Kashmir valley," he added.

The USBRL project covers the districts of Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam and Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir.

The local economy is certain to receive a significant boost as the cost of transporting goods will come down appreciably, in addition to completely addressing the uncertainty of goods movement through the Srinagar–Jammu highway, which is prone to closures due to shooting stones, mudslides and earth caving-in accidents.

The arrival of the goods train will ensure round-the-year movement of merchandise from outside the Kashmir Valley and the transport of the Valley’s huge horticultural produce, including apples.

The laying of the USBRL has been an engineering marvel as well as an enduring test of human endurance amid one of the most rugged and difficult mountain terrains in the world.

The Prime Minister will virtually flag off the Vande Bharat Express train between Amritsar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra on August 10.

- IANS