Srinagar, Aug. 7 -- Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the recently commissioned Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) - one of India's most challenging railway projects - has been built with global-level safety measures while ensuring minimum disturbance to the fragile Himalayan ecology.

The 272-km USBRL project, which traverses Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, and Baramulla districts, includes the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab (359 m above riverbed) and Indian Railways' first cable-stayed bridge over Anji Khad.

Vaishnaw highlighted that over 5 crore man-days of employment were generated and 215 km of approach roads, including tunnels and 320 bridges, were bu...