Srinagar, June 6 -- This landmark train will depart from Delhi and travel through Katra, the gateway to the revered Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, before reaching Srinagar. The event marks the successful culmination of one of India's most ambitious infrastructure projects, featuring two engineering marvels: the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab River and India's first cable-stayed rail bridge at Anji.

The dream of linking Kashmir to the national rail network has been decades in the making. The idea was first proposed in the 1970s during the tenure of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The project officially received the green light in 1994, during a cabinet meeting chaired by her successor, P.V. Narasimha Rao. However, active c...