Northern Railway wins ‘Build India Infra Award’ for Udhampur-Sgr-B’la rail link

Srinagar, Feb 25: Northern Railway has been honored with the prestigious “Build India Infra Awards 2025” for its contribution to the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
The award was presented by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Kinjarapu and received by Ashok Kumar Verma, General Manager of Northern Railway, who lauded the dedication, innovation, and commitment of the project team.
Speaking to Rising Kashmir, Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said that the award was conferred in the Railways sector, recognizing its significant impact on infrastructure and connectivity.
“This transformative rail link stands as a testament to India’s engineering excellence and commitment to modernizing the railway network,” Upadhyay said.
He emphasized that the USBRL project, designated as a national project, will play a critical role in ensuring all-weather connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India, fostering socio-economic growth across the region and beyond.
“This project is a testament to the government’s commitment to integrating the region with the rest of the country through modern infrastructure. The USBRL section is expected to significantly boost connectivity, tourism, and economic growth in the Union Territory,” he said.
Earlier this year, final track work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link (USBRL) project was completed. Northern Railways successfully conducted the second consecutive trial run of a cargo-loaded train and rail engine on the Katra-Reasi section of the USBRL project.
The trial included a train with 32 coaches that traversed the track between Katra Railway Station and Reasi. The Anji Khad Bridge is an engineering marvel designed to withstand the region’s challenging terrain and seismic conditions.
In December 2024, USBRL project achieved a historic milestone with the completion of ballast-less track work on Tunnel T-33, the final tunnel connecting Katra to Reasi.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the accomplishment in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said that the ballast-less track work for the 3.2 km-long Tunnel T-33, located at the foothills of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and connecting Katra to Reasi, was successfully completed.
The Reasi-Katra rail link is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The inaugural event will also mark the launch of a new sleeper variant of the Vande Bharat Express, which will connect Delhi and Srinagar.
This direct train service will significantly reduce the travel time for the 800-kilometer journey to under 13 hours.