Srinagar, June 5 -- It took 127 years for a dream to become reality. Vande Bharat Express will finally crisscross through the mighty Pir Panjal to reach Srinagar.

Maharaja Pratap Singh was the first ruler who dreamof the Kashmir train in 1898. A project was sanctioned in 1905, but it could not be implemented.After independence, Jammu was connected with the rest of India, but the valley remained landlocked. Indira Gandhi started work on the difficult Chenab section (which includes Kashmir) in 1983.

However, it was the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) that made the Kashmir train dream a reality. Approvedin1994-95 and declared a National Projectin2002, the USBRL has been completedinphases. Key sections such as Qazigund-Bara...