Jammu, June 6 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) as a historic milestone and a symbol of national integration, as he flagged off the first Vande Bharat train between Katra and Srinagar.
Speaking at a massive public gathering in Katra, Modi called the moment "a grand celebration of India's unity and willpower."
"With the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi, Kashmir has now been connected to India's vast railway network," he said. "For decades, the phrase 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' has represented a dream of national unity-today, that dream has become a railway reality."
The fully operational USBRL project includes the world's highest railway arch bridge over the...