Srinagar: A couple of days ago, the Army issued an official statement saying that for the first time ever, a goods train has been used to transport heavy tanks and artillery guns to the Kashmir valley. This is a major strategic gain as the deployment of these assets to the forward areas was a cumbersome and time-consuming exercise so far. However, with this milestone having been achieved, rapid deployment of different types of assets on the Line of Control (LoC) has become possible.
“The Army achieved a major logistics milestone on December 16, 2025, with the induction of tanks and artillery guns into the Kashmir valley by a special military train”, the ADGPI announced on X. It said that as part of the validation exercise, tanks, artillery guns and bulldozers were successfully moved from the Jammu region to Anantnag in Kashmir, demonstrating enhanced mobility and logistical capability. It needs to be mentioned here that the distance between Anantnag and Baramulla railway stations is over 100 km (106 to be more exact).
“This milestone was achieved in close coordination with @RailMinIndia, underscoring the transformative impact of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project in enabling rapid logistics build-up and strengthening operational readiness along the northern borders”, the ADGPI said. Beyond Anantnag, the railway line extends to Baramulla and will help carry various types of ammunition, from various ordnance depots, rapidly to forward areas.
At present, Army convoys use roads to carry all heavy equipment, ordnance and men to the Kashmir valley. With the railway line becoming a reality, tested and validated for use of all types of goods, inducting manpower also can be done very rapidly. Between Katra and Srinagar, the time taken by Vande Bharat trains is approximately three hours. Earlier, it could take up to more than 36 hours by road for vehicles carrying heavy artillery guns and bulldozers to travel from Jammu to Srinagar. It was also a source of inconvenience to ordinary citizens who faced massive traffic jams and movement restrictions while the military convoys moved on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
The Jammu-Srinagar road link is often described as the lifeline of the Valley as all supplies from mainland India to Kashmir and evacuation of fruits from the Valley to Delhi and beyond is being done using this road link. However, the definition may need to change in the years to come as the bulk of transportation will shift to the railway. This year, during the months of August and September, when heavy rains disrupted the road link, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line had proved its utility. It took some weeks to restore the road traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway as some bridges had been damaged. At that time, goods trains brought in much needed supplies to the Kashmir valley and took tonnes of apples and other fruits out of Kashmir.
The USBRL railway line is also being used to bring in cars on goods trains to the Kashmir valley from outside the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir. Incidentally, the Udhampur-Baramulla railway line became fully operational some months ago when a Vande Bharat train was started between Katra(called Shri Mata Vaisho Devi Katra) and Srinagar(Nowgam). This train has only eight bogies specially designed to operate in extreme weather and this winter will be first that all the design parameters would be tested and put to actual use.
The induction of tanks and artillery guns into the Kashmir valley by a special military train is a clear demonstration of enhanced mobility and logistical capability to the northernmost tip of the nation. This seemed like a dream when this railway line was first talked of by late Atal Behari Vajpayee in April 2003 during his visit to Srinagar as Prime Minister.
The Northern Railway has so far supplied container-based wagons to ferry apples from Kashmir, as well as vehicles and cement, marking another initiative to support trade and industry in the valley. In the days to come, the importance of this USBRL rail line can only grow and for catering to enhanced traffic, a separate Jammu Division has been created. Besides, the capacity of the Jammu railway station is being augmented significantly by adding four more platforms. This will take the number of platforms available at Jammu to seven from present three. Not only this, the passengers will have the option of entering the Jammu railway station both from north (Narwal) and south (Trikuta Nagar) sides. At present, they can only enter from the southern side but in the months and years ahead, travelling from Jammu to Srinagar will become seamless.
