Kashmir Impulse Desk 

Jammu, April 30 

Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh said on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had enabled “landmark direct rail connectivity” between Jammu and Srinagar, as authorities flagged off an expanded Vande Bharat service in the region.

Speaking at Jammu Railway Station, Singh said the launch of the 20-coach Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express marked a major step in improving transport links in Jammu and Kashmir.

Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the train in the presence of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and lawmakers Sat Paul Sharma and Ghulam Ali Khatana.

Singh said rail expansion beyond Jammu, where the network arrived in 1972, had remained stalled for decades before accelerating in recent years. 

He said that infrastructure development in the region was now on par with the rest of the country.

The new service is expected to ease travel, improve logistics and support business activity, he said, adding it would fulfil a long-standing demand for direct rail connectivity to Kashmir.

Improved connectivity would likely increase pilgrim traffic and help move security personnel more efficiently, while also reducing travel time and linking remote areas more closely to national markets, Singh said.

He said that the rail link would strengthen supply chains, lower transport costs for essential goods and local produce, and open up scenic but previously less accessible areas including parts of Ramban district to tourism and film production.

Singh said the project, built across mountainous terrain, could serve as a model for rail development in other hilly regions such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and northeast.

He also recalled that PM Modi had inaugurated the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi railway station in 2014, shortly after taking office, as part of efforts to improve connectivity in the region.

Later, Singh travelled with Vaishnaw on the Vande Bharat train to inspect infrastructure along the route, including the Anji Khad Bridge and the Chenab Bridge.