Jammu, Dec 16 (IANS): The Commissioner of Railway Safety on Monday carried out the inspection of the rail track from Reasi to Banihal town which is the final connecting rail track for the Vande Bharat train service expected to become operational by January 2025.

With the final inspection of the vital Reasi-Banihal rail track scheduled in the first week of January 2025, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project would become fit for operations.

The two-day inspection started on Monday and will continue on Tuesday as part of the technical safety approval procedure by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.

Dinesh Chand Deswal, Commissioner of Railway Safety is accompanied by a team of rail safety experts who will check and approve every detail of the project’s infrastructure.

The final trial run of the Katra-Banihal section was performed in June this year when the train chugged between Sangaldan to Reasi railway stations.

Tuesday’s inspection includes Kodi to Katra link which includes the cable bridge over Anji Khad.

The most ambitious and marvellous part of the USBRL is the railway bridge over the Chenab River which is the World’s tallest railway bridge towering 359 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Rs 1486 core using 30,000 tonnes of steel went into the construction of this bridge.

The dream project will give a major boost to the economy of the Valley, especially the horticulture sector. The project will provide the cheapest possible transportation of apples etc to the terminal markets in the rest of the country.

It will also come as the fulfilment of the dreams of industrialists and businessmen in addition to students and the common citizen.

The Vande Bharat train is expected to take around 12 hours to complete the distance from Delhi to Srinagar.