On Tuesday, Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference, experienced his inaugural journey on the recently launched Vande Bharat train, traveling from Srinagar to Katra. He expressed profound emotion at Kashmir’s integration into the national rail network.
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister voiced his hope that the train service would encourage a significant increase in Amarnath pilgrims for the upcoming annual yatra, set to begin on July 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated two Vande Bharat trains on June 6, completing the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link that connects Kashmir to the rest of India.
Abdullah boarded the train at Nowgam Railway Station in Srinagar and was greeted in Katra by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Jammu NC president, Rattan Lal Gupta. Overwhelmed with emotion, Abdullah congratulated the engineers and workers responsible for this achievement, highlighting the train’s potential to facilitate travel, boost trade and tourism, and strengthen regional ties.
He specifically mentioned the benefit for Amarnath yatris, urging them to utilize the new facility. Accompanying Abdullah on his journey were his grandsons, Zamir and Zahir, J-K minister Satish Sharma, chief minister’s advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, and National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq. Sadiq shared his positive experience on X, praising the journey across the Anji bridge and through tunnels.
Abdullah also emphasized the train’s role in transporting Kashmir’s horticultural produce to markets across the country, including distant locations like Kanyakumari, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bihar. He underscored the train’s reliability as a transportation link, especially in contrast to often-closed roads and fluctuating airline fares, and its overall benefit to tourism in Kashmir.
