The Railway Board has assigned eight coaches for a Vande Bharat Express to operate between Jammu and Srinagar along the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the Hindu reported This move suggests that the Central government may soon announce the opening of Vande Bharat, connecting Kashmir to the rest of India.
The entire line has been electrified, and the remaining work on some tunnels is nearing completion, the report cited an official as saying. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had previously stated that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link would be operational by early 2024. Recently, Northern Railways conducted a successful trial run of an electric train from Banihal railway station to Khari railway station in Ramban district.
