Kashmir is on the brink of being connected to the rest of India by rail as the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) is nearing completion. Northern Railway General Manager Ashok Verma announced on Tuesday (17 December) that work on the final tunnel, T-33, situated in the Reasi region, is set to conclude within a week.

“The project will be completed very soon. We are hopeful of the connectivity in January. Then all trains, including Vande Bharat, will run, and a timetable will be framed for all the trains. We hope to start this project in January,” Verma stated. Verma elaborated that the track-laying work for the 3.2-km T-33 tunnel, nestled at the foothills of Vaishno Devi and linking Katra to Reasi, has already been completed.

The electrical installations are in progress and are expected to conclude within the week. “CRS inspection will also be conducted in the next 15 days, after which the trains will run,” he confirmed. The completion of this 17-km stretch between Katra and Reasi marks the final segment of the USBRL project, paving the way for the first direct train operations between Kashmir and Delhi. 

Once operational, this long-awaited rail link is expected to significantly enhance connectivity and catalyse economic and social integration for the region. Verma concluded by emphasizing the broader implications of this achievement, “There will be a total change in the situation in Kashmir.”