Srinagar, 10 June (H.S.): National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday took his maiden ride in the recently inaugurated Vande Bharat train from Srinagar to Katra township and said he was overwhelmed to see Kashmir finally getting connected to the country’s rail network.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said he hopes the intended Amarnath pilgrims will use the train and come in large numbers to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine.

The annual yatra is scheduled to commence in the Kashmir Himalayas on July 3. On June 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat trains from Katra to Srinagar and Srinagar to Katra, marking the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Abdullah, wearing a round sun-visor hat, boarded the train at Nowgam Railway Station in Srinagar this morning and was received by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Jammu NC president, Rattan Lal Gupta, in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

“My heart is overwhelmed and my eyes filled with tears on seeing Kashmir finally getting connected with the country’s rail network. I congratulate the engineers and the workers for making it happen,” Abdullah told reporters after deboarding.

He called the train the biggest victory for the people as it will ease travel, boost trade and tourism, and also strengthen “love and friendship” between the two regions.

“We hope that the yatris from across the country will use the facility to turn up in large numbers for darshan at Amarnath cave shrine during the upcoming pilgrimage,” Abdullah said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s sons, Zamir and Zahir, J-K minister Satish Sharma, chief minister’s advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, and National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq also accompanied Abdulah on his train ride.

“Took our first train ride from Srinagar to Katra truly impressed! The journey crosses the iconic Anji bridge and weaves through stunning tunnels. A remarkable experience,” Sadiq wrote on X, also sharing some pictures of the trip.

Abdullah said the train will help transport horticulture produce from Kashmir to different markets in the country, including the far-off Kanyakumari, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bihar.

Earlier, in Srinagar, the NC chief said, “I am very happy that I am travelling by this train to Katra today. It has been the biggest benefit for us.” He said the train would be a reliable transport link for the people of the valley.

“The road (between Srinagar and Jammu) gets closed sometimes and the airlines start fleecing the people by jacking up the prices. With this train, people will be saved from that,” he said.

Abdullah said the railway link will also prove to be beneficial to the horticulture sector in Kashmir as the produce will reach the markets faster.

“It will also benefit tourists visiting Kashmir,” he added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar