PM Modi inaugurates key Chenab Railway Bridge for seamless connectivity to Kashmir

India Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Chenab railway bridge, the world’s tallest rail bridge. This engineering feat is a crucial milestone in the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, now enabling seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India.

Transcript

00:00Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jammu Kashmir, this is right atop the Chenabh Bridge.

00:05What a visual there.

00:07Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha,

00:10Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav as well.

00:14Ladies and gentlemen, what you're looking at is absolutely historic and I want to tell you why.

00:19There was a train that connected the Jammu region to the rest of the country, to the rest of India.

00:24And that was usually when people would get down to Jammu or want to go to visit and pay visits at the Mata Vaishnav Devi Temple.

00:32But there was no train that connected from Jammu to the Kashmir Valley.

00:38Now from this Chenabh Rail Bridge, for the first time, this is in Riyasi, in Jammu region.

00:43Now Chenabh Rail Bridge in itself, a historic, monumental achievement.

00:48It's been very difficult to be able to build this bridge.

00:51And that's why you see the smile and pride on the face of Prime Minister Modi.

00:55Because this inauguration has come long delayed.

00:58This was expected a few weeks earlier.

01:01Remember, there were at that time weather challenges.

01:04Then sadly the Pehelgaam massacre happened.

01:06And therefore now Prime Minister Modi, holding a tricolor in his hand,

01:09is in many ways sending out a symbolic message.

01:12He knows fully and is fully aware about what this moment means.

01:16The train that has started, viewer, will now connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country via a rail route.

01:24Till now, you had to get down at Jammu region with the train and then take either a car route through the Banehal Tunnel.

01:33And sometimes that would be precarious given there would be landslide situations on different routes.

01:37And you reach the Kashmir Valley or you take a flight and land in Kashmir.

01:42Now you can, from Riyasi, from the Jammu region, take a train, which is affordable to many.

01:49And especially if it's a Wande Bharat now, adding on to, of course, that sentiment that while Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,

01:56wanted Kashmir to stay separate, to be able to stay away from the rest of the country.

02:02Obviously, now it has been, so to say, integrated.

02:06It was always part of India.

02:08But the rail route in many ways is symbolic.

02:10It is truly Kashmir to Kanyakumari this morning that this has happened.

02:15Of course, there is a stopover.

02:17I need to add here, it's not a direct train.

02:19There is a stopover in Riyasi, in the Jammu region.

02:23And from there, there will be the next route that will be taken.

02:27So, after Jammu, Katra, that is where the stop is.

02:31And then the train heads into the Kashmir Valley.

02:34But what a moment.

02:35The administration realizes the achievement.

02:37And I wish there will be many more people who will have a happy journey.

02:42This is as much personal to me because we never were able to take the train journey into Kashmir.

02:47And it's a beautiful view.

02:49And I hope it will always be safe and smooth for the passengers.

02:51Piyush Mishra joins me for the latest on this.

02:57Meer Fareed is joining us as well.

02:59Oh, Piyush, you're inside the train.

03:01Lovely.

03:01Tell me, how is the first train journey looking like?

03:05Lucky you, definitely.

03:10Well, absolutely lucky me.

03:11I'm going to be one of the few passengers who will be traveling for the first time from Jammu to Kashmir

03:16while the much-awaited train journey, Pooja.

03:20Remember, the Prime Minister was to inaugurate the Chenab Railway Bridge on April 19th.

03:24But due to climatic conditions and following which, what we saw, you know, in Pahlkam,

03:29there was a delay in the inauguration of this entire rail network.

03:32And now, as we are speaking, Prime Minister has now inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge,

03:36which is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than Eiffel Tower,

03:42seven times taller than Qutub Minaram.

03:44It is 359 meters above the sea level, the Chenab, above the river level, the Chenab River.

03:53And it is now going to provide a huge connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.

03:58Right now, I'm present in the same Vande Bharat train,

04:02which is also to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi.

04:04In a few minutes from now, he has just inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge.

04:08He will now be moving towards the Anjikhar Bridge, which is also another engineering marvel.

04:13And after that, the inauguration of the Prime Minister will directly come here at Qatar Railway Station.

04:17And let me also, for the benefit of our viewers,

04:20tell to our viewers as to how technologically advanced this entire train is.

04:25Here we have, you know, like a airplane, that if you have to ask for something,

04:31you can push for this button and someone will come to assist you.

04:33The seats are very comfortable.

04:36This is entirely technologically upgraded train.

04:39Piyush, can you show us around inside the train?

04:41What is it looking like?

04:42There are deep freezers.

04:45Well, certainly, well, certainly, that if you are traveling from Jammu to Kashmir,

04:50you know, this, you will have a lot of facilities.

04:53It is a technologically upgraded train.

04:55You have a port also for charging.

04:57You can see as to how, you know, there's a port also which has been given for the charging.

05:01And now, if we move ahead from here, the moment you enter in this train,

05:06you will see this slide which reads,

05:10this is the train from Sri Mata Vaishnudivika track to Sri Natharantan.

05:14And to just read this, many engineers, many people from Jumann Kashmir

05:20and also from across the country have been waiting for.

05:23And now, finally, the day has come where the train is now operating from Jammu to Kashmir.

05:28And for that, this entire train is now ready, which is, you know, upgraded version of a one-day Bharat train.

05:35You know, there are heating elements which is going to melt the snow of, you know, during the harsh winter time.

05:42Wow.

05:42At the same time, in the plumbing of this entire coach,

05:47there are some technologies those have been given which will keep the water heated during the harsh winter season.

05:52So, all technologies have been, you know, given here so that there is a comfortable journey.

05:57At the same time, Pooja, it is cost-effective that if you travel from Jammu to Kashmir,

06:02you will only have to pay only 715 rupees for this normal chair car.

06:07For executive, it is above 1000 rupees.

06:09But, you know, if you take a road network to travel from Jammu and Kashmir,

06:14you have to pay a lot of money.

06:16Or flight.

06:17Pooja, or flight.

06:19Which is also even Jammu to Kashmir, not much of a distance,

06:22but can be an extensive, expensive flight ticket as well.

06:25Pooja, please stay on with me.

06:26That was the first visual you had inside of the train

06:29that would take you now from the Jammu region to the Kashmir Valley.

06:33This is huge.

06:34Because at this juncture, remember, and I want to tell you,

06:36I want to help you understand why this is multiple-led achievement

06:39that the government, as you can see, the smile on their faces.

06:42Now, the one reason is, of course, that it is a train journey into the Kashmir Valley.

06:47There was train that would halt in Jammu.

06:50Now, internally in the Kashmir Valley, there are train services.

06:54For example, toward Baramula Rail Link, there are train services.

06:57However, Kashmir Valley trains never connected to the rest of the country,

07:01to even Jammu, and that has happened.

07:03And then the Chenab Rail Bridge.

07:05When you hear that it is the world's highest arch bridge, what does it mean?

07:09The height is even, for example, if I can compare,

07:13it surpasses the height of even the Eiffel Tower

07:15and forms a critical part of the Udhampur-Shrinagar-Baramula Rail Link.

07:21And that is the achievement that is being boasted about.

07:23Look at that.

07:24I haven't seen Prime Minister Modi smiling, flashing this big smile in a while.

07:28And especially for what we had seen in the past few weeks.

07:31So, applause there.

07:33And it's a joint coordination campaign.

07:36Look at that.

07:36That it's basically a cable state bridge over the Chenab River.

07:40The Chenab and Anji bridges connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.

07:44So, it's an engineering effort.

07:46Remember, amid all of this, it's the passengers now,

07:49who also will have to ensure that the train that they travel in

07:54are kept neat and clean, that we respect this public resource.

07:58It has come after a historic wait.

08:01That's the tunnel.

08:02That's the first visual of the train entering and passing through the Anji Bridge.

08:07Remember, usually, you have to pass through the Banehal Tunnel.

08:11That's the road route.

08:13And often, there would be a lot of concerns,

08:15whether landslides or traffic or construction work.

08:18Or there would be a flight that you take and directly land from wherever into Kashmir.

08:23Now, from Jammu, you can head into the Kashmir Valley.

08:27A beautiful visual there.

08:28This is the whole Udhampur belt area, Riyasi,

08:32specifically the district where this has been made.

08:35The bridge was ready.

08:37But this inauguration, of course, was much awaited.

08:39Prime Minister Modi was planning this earlier.

08:42But for different reasons, at that juncture, it was not permitted.

08:46It couldn't happen.

08:47It's been delayed.

08:48But nevertheless, it's the 6th of June that you see this inauguration.

08:52It's been delayed.

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