The maximum permitted speed on the 111-km Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Banihal railway section has been raised from 75 kmph to 100 kmph, improving the operating speed of trains connecting Kashmir with the rest of India. The higher speed was tested on October 2, when the Kashmir-bound Vande Bharat Express crossed the Chenab and Anji bridges at 100 kmph, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The test involved Vande Bharat Express services 26401 and 26404. The train travelled across the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge, and the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge. The speed increase comes more than a year after the Katra-Banihal section was inaugurated in June 2025 as part of the all-weather rail connection between Kashmir and the national railway network.
The section forms part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, or USBRL, one of the country’s largest and most technically demanding railway projects. The project has been built at a reported cost of Rs 43,780 crore through the Himalayan terrain. It includes 36 tunnels with a combined length of 119 kilometres and 943 bridges across mountain passes, ridges and valleys.
The revised speed limit is expected to improve the flow of train services on the USBRL network and reduce journey times for passengers travelling between Katra, Banihal and the Kashmir Valley. The rail connection is also intended to support movement for trade and tourism by linking areas that were previously outside the Indian Railways network.
The Vande Bharat service operating on the Katra-Srinagar route has been specially configured for the region’s winter conditions. The train can operate in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius and includes heated windshields, advanced heating systems and insulated toilet facilities. Seismic dampers have also been installed to reduce vibrations and improve safety while trains operate through the earthquake-prone Himalayan region.
The Chenab Rail Bridge is 1,315 metres long and stands 359 metres above the riverbed, making it 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower. The structure has been designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 260 kilometres per hour and has an anticipated service life of 120 years. Specially developed structural steel allows it to function across temperatures ranging from minus 10 to 40 degrees Celsius.
The 725-metre Anji Khad Bridge crosses the deep Anji River valley and rises 331 metres above the riverbed. It is supported by 96 high-tensile cables and forms a key link on the Katra-Banihal stretch of the USBRL. The latest speed test marks the next operational step for a rail corridor built to maintain year-round connectivity through one of India’s most difficult railway environments.
