SRINAGAR: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link will usher in a new era for Jammu and Kashmir and create an ideal environment for trade and business.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge and with it open the Vande Bharat train service connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari on Thursday.

The Chenab rail bridge is a key part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL) that will provide direct train connectivity to the valley.

"The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari will usher in a new era for Jammu and Kashmir," Sinha said in a statement.

"Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has created an inclusive and vibrant future for Jammu and Kashmir. Under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a new dynamism in every sector and inclusive growth has ensured no section of society is left behind," he said.

The PM's vision and speedy implementation of development projects on the ground have left a significant imprint on Jammu and Kashmir's growth and "what earlier seemed impossible has been made possible", the LG added.

Sinha said Modi has visited J&K five times since 2022 to inaugurate and to lay the foundation stones of major infrastructure projects worth Rs 64,400 crore.

Besides, 53 projects worth Rs 58,477 crore under the Prime Minister's Development Package, and other connectivity and development projects worth thousands of crores are setting the union territory on the path of rapid growth, he said.

"The Rail Project worth Rs 43,780 crore, connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari, is an engineering excellence that will create an ideal environment for trade, business, all-weather transportation and I strongly believe that it is a railway line to future," the LG said.

He stressed that J&K is poised to become a developed and ‘atmanirbhar' (self-reliant) union territory under the leadership of PM Modi.

"The prime minister's infrastructure push is aimed at driving Jammu and Kashmir's transformation, improving connectivity with other parts of the country, increasing industrial activities, enhancing living standards and fostering broader economic participation.

"Connectivity brings prosperity and this historic railway line will unlock the potential of Jammu and Kashmir, and drive unprecedented economic growth in remote areas," Sinha said.