A Vande Bharat Express crossed the Chenab and Anji railway bridges at 100 kmph for the first time on October 2, marking a new operational milestone on the Kashmir rail link.

The run followed the raising of the maximum permissible speed on the 111-km Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Banihal section from 75 kmph to 100 kmph, The Indian Eye reported. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared a video of the run.

Train number 26401/26404 became the first to cross both landmark bridges at the revised speed. The Chenab Railway Bridge, at 359 metres above the riverbed, is the world’s highest railway arch bridge. The Anji Khad Bridge is India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge.

The two structures are part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, which connects the Kashmir Valley with the wider Indian railway network.

The development comes more than a year after the section was inaugurated in June 2025. Officials said the higher speed should make operations smoother and cut journey times on the Katra-Banihal section.