PM Modi flags off Jammu & Kashmir’s first electric train; inaugurates India's longest railway tunnel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched multiple development projects, including in the education, railway, aviation, and road sectors, in Jammu and Kashmir worth over Rs 32,000 crore. From Jammu, the prime minister also launched or laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 13,500 crore across the country.
 

Electric train between Sangaldan station and Baramulla station
 

PM Modi flagged off the electric train from Srinagar to Sangaldan in the down direction and the other from Sangaldan to Srinagar in the up direction. This is the first electric train in Kashmir. The launch of this train will boost social and economic development in the valley.
 

#WATCH | Jammu: PM Narendra Modi flags off the first Electric Train in the valley and also the train service between Sangaldan station & Baramulla station. pic.twitter.com/VGB8yzfUbT

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2024

Baramulla gets new DEMU from Sangaldan
 

PM Modi also flagged off the DEMU train between Sangaldan and the Baramulla station. This will provide a better transportation option for local farmers, traders, artisans, and students. Along with this, it will also promote tourism in the area, which will lead to more employment.
 

India's longest railway tunnel opens
 

PM Modi also inaugurated India's longest railway tunnel on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) on Monday. "This longest tunnel, which is 12.77 km long and known as T-50, falls between the Khari-Sumber section," the official said. According to the Northern Railway (NR), trains can now run from Baramulla to Sangaldan via Banihal, which used to be the last or originating station earlier.
T-50 is supposed to be the most challenging of the 11 tunnels in the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangadal section.
 
According to NR officials, the opening up of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section has brought them a step closer to achieving the dream of running a train from the Kasmir valley in the north to Kanyakumari on the southern tip of the country. "Earlier, eight diesel trains (four each from one side) were operating between Baramulla and Banihal. Now, eight electrified trains have started running between Baramulla and Banihal, and four of those have been extended to Sangaldan.
"The four other trains will also be extended up to Sangaldan after a couple of months," the official added.

(With inputs from wires)