The travel time between Jammu and Srinagar is set to reduce to just three hours and ten minutes with the completion of the 111 km long Banihal-Katra section. As the final safety inspection begins, rail commuters can expect a world-class travel experience on this route later this year, as Jammu station is being redeveloped to include eight platforms and modern amenities. Additionally, an eight-coach Vande Bharat Express will soon begin operating between Katra and Srinagar, marking the end of the long wait for train connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu.

The Banihal-Katra section is an engineering marvel, featuring 97 km of tunnels and seven kilometres of bridges. One of the most challenging aspects of the project was providing foundation support to the world's highest arch bridge, located over the Chenab River at a height of 359 meters. This was achieved using the rock bolting method and 30,000 tonne of steel. Another major challenge was the construction of India’s first cable-stayed bridge on the Anji River. The section also includes two other important bridges: Reasi and Bakkal.

During the execution of the project, railway engineers innovated by adopting the Himalayan tunnelling technique instead of the conventional tunnelling method to ensure safety and provide strength to both the main tunnels and the 67 km of escape tunnels. The tunnels feature a completely ballast-less track, similar to the design used in metro systems, and are free of joints. The longest tunnel on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL) project, T50, measures 12.77 km in length. Cameras are placed every 50 metres in the tunnels to monitor safety and operational data, with these cameras connected to a state-of-the-art central control room. Additionally, 215 km of roads have been constructed in the region to improve access to project sites, benefiting the local community.

The Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat train is specially designed with anti-freezing features, and a snow removal train will operate ahead of passenger and freight trains to ensure year-round service. This will provide all-weather connectivity between the two regions. To ensure a comfortable and safe travel experience, the railways have incorporated anti-vibration seismic devices in the project, as the region falls within earthquake zone-V. These dampers will absorb tremors in the Himalayan terrain, enabling faster and safer travel for commuters.