The crossing is part of a new train line connecting the region to the rest of India for the first time

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated two railway bridges that are a part of a new link connecting the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. It is the first time he has been to the region since the deadly Pahalgam attack on tourists, which triggered a diplomatic and military clash between New Delhi and Islamabad.

During his speech on Friday, Modi highlighted the importance of developing Kashmir's infrastructure. The region has been a point of contention between India and Pakistan for decades.

The prime minister opened the Chenab bridge - labeled by Indian authorities the world's highest railway bridge - and Anji bridge, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge. Both are parts of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line project, a 272-kilometer long railway link that Modi hailed as Jammu and Kashmir's "new strength" and a "testament to India's growing capabilities."

The Chenab bridge, built over the river of the same name, towers 359 meters above the riverbed and rises 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower. It was constructed at an estimated cost of approximately $173 million, according to the official statement. The Anji bridge, a cable-stayed railway bridge constructed in a difficult Himalayan terrain, is 331 meters high and is anchored by 96 high tensile cables. The total length of the cables used in the bridge is 653 kilometers, the statement noted.

Modi also announced new trains would run between Jammu's capital Srinagar, and Katra, where Vaishno Devi temple, one of the most visited and revered Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, is located. It marks the completion of a 42-year-old project to link Kashmir with the rest of the country via railway. A test run on his route was carried out by the railway authorities in December last year.

The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link running through the rugged Himalayas was built at a cost of nearly $5 billion. It includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 kilometers and 943 bridges that allow travel through valleys and mountain passes by train, while previously connectivity in the region was only possible using dangerous roads or by air. The dedication of the rail link "marks a new chapter in mobility, trade and tourism for Jammu and Kashmir," New Delhi said.

(RT.com)