NEW DELHI, October 20 — The Union Cabinet conducted an apex-level operational review on Monday of the ₹41,119 Crore Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) national project ahead of commissioning all-weather rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
The engineering marvel features the world’s highest railway arch bridge towering 359 metres above the Chenab riverbed—standing 35 metres taller than Paris’s Eiffel Tower—alongside India’s maiden cable-stayed railway bridge over the Anji Khad. Traversing the rugged young fold mountains of the Pir Panjal range across the challenging 111 km Katra–Banihal section, over 97 km of the alignment runs through deep tunnels, anchored by the 12.77 km Tunnel T-49, India's longest operational transportation rail tunnel.
The Ministry of Railways confirmed that the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has concluded comprehensive high-speed oscillation runs and structural load trials, paving the way for direct Vande Bharat sleeper train operations connecting New Delhi and Srinagar in under 13 hours.
Structural and seismic engineering specifications of the Chenab Arch Bridge (designed for Zone-V seismic activity and 266 km/h wind gusts), geological complexities of the Himalayas (Main Central Thrust, Main Boundary Thrust), and strategic infrastructure connectivity under Northern Railway are core topics for UPSC GS-III and engineering services.