Jammu to Srinagar in just 3 hours from this week: Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat to pass through 36 major tunnels, stunning bridges

Indian Railways is set to launch the long-awaited Vande Bharat train between Jammu and Srinagar on April 19. This orange and grey semi-high-speed train will run between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) and Srinagar. The Northern Railway (NR) zone will operate and maintain the train, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to inaugurate the first service this week from Srinagar, Kashmir, and Katra, Jammu.

Initially, there will be just one train on this route, allowing passengers to travel the distance in just over three hours – much faster than the current travel time of six to seven hours.

The train will run along the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), passing through a stunning landscape of tunnels and bridges in mountainous terrain. This route includes 36 major tunnels, covering about 119 kilometres of the 272-kilometre line.

Tunnel T-50, India’s longest transport tunnel, connects Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country. Built using the New Tunnelling Method, it passes through challenging rock formations like phyllite, gneiss, and quartzite. The main tunnel is connected to an escape tunnel via cross-passages spaced 375 metres apart.

Construction faced many challenges, including landslides, water intrusion, and unstable rock. Engineers built three access tunnels to speed up excavation and development, overcoming these difficulties with perseverance and advanced techniques.

Tunnel T-80 (11.2 km): Beneath the Pir Panjal range, this tunnel avoids snow-covered mountain passes, providing all-weather access to Kashmir.

Tunnel T-34 (5.1 km): Links to the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge.

Tunnel T-33 (3.2 km): Built under the Trikuta Hills, this tunnel was completed in 2023 using advanced tunnelling technology.

Tunnel T-23 (3.15 km) and T-1 (3.2 km): Both required precise engineering to deal with water intrusion and unstable rock.

Tunnel T-25 (3 km): It took six years to build due to an underground water stream, pushing the limits of tunnel engineering.

Trial runs on several USBRL sections, including the iconic Chenab and Anji Khad bridges, were completed in recent months.