The army on Wednesday said it had achieved a major logistics milestone with the induction of tanks and artillery guns into the Kashmir Valley by a military special train.

The strategic achievement, however, underscores an irony: a direct train to the Valley for civilians remains a pipedream.

The army’s additional directorate-general of public information said on Wednesday that the force achieved the feat on December 16, calling it a move that would enhance capabilities along the borders.

The ADGPI’s X handle posted pictures showing the special train chugging through breathtaking landscape, including the 1,315mt-long Chenab bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge with a deck height of 359mt above the Chenab
riverbed.

“As part of the validation exercise, tanks, artillery guns and dozers were successfully moved from the Jammu region to Anantnag, Kashmir, demonstrating enhanced mobility and logistical capability,” the ADGPI said.

The directorate said that the milestone was achieved in close coordination with the railway ministry and underscores a “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 train to Kashmir became a reality in June after a 126-year wait to connect the region with the country’s railway grid. The Centre, however, unexpectedly allowed passenger trains to operate only between the Valley and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra, around 80km ahead of Jammu city, over security concerns.