‘Had a good darshan’: Farooq Abdullah visits Maa Vaishno Devi shrine; calls Vande Bharat train ‘biggest gift’ to J&K | India News
NEW DELHI: A day after travelling on the newly launched Vande Bharat train from Srinagar to Katra, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah visited the Vaishno Devi shrine and offered prayers on Wednesday.“I had a good darshan and I hope that we will get what I prayed for. We want prosperity, unity, brotherhood. We all want India to grow so that we can be part of that,” the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.Farooq Abdullah also praised the Vande Bharat train service, calling it the “biggest gift” for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it connects the territory with the entire country. “This is the biggest gift to connect Jammu and Kashmir with the entire country… I had tears in my eyes when I crossed the Chenab Bridge. Finally, the day has come when we can travel to the country from Kashmir by train. I want to congratulate all the workers and engineers who built this bridge…” he said.Abdullah reached Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station on Tuesday after boarding the Vande Bharat train from Nowgam (Srinagar) Railway Station. Speaking to reporters, the NC chief said that his eyes became “teary” after the train crossed the Chenab Bridge. Notably, the Chenab Bridge, the highest railway arch bridge in the world, stands as a milestone project for Indian Railways, completed after years of overcoming challenges in the difficult Himalayan terrain.The two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, directly connect the Jammu division with Kashmir. The new service significantly cuts down the travel time between Katra and Srinagar to about three hours, saving two to three hours compared to existing options. The trains are specially designed to operate in the cold climate of the Kashmir Valley.The route also includes passage through the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge, standing 359 metres above the river. The 1,315-metre-long steel structure has been engineered to withstand seismic activity and strong winds.The Vande Bharat train service is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, a 272-kilometre-long corridor constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore. The project features 36 tunnels spanning 119 kilometres and 943 bridges, enabling all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India. It is expected to revolutionize regional mobility and contribute significantly to socio-economic integration.Expressing his happiness over the train service, Abdullah told news agency ANI, “I am very happy with the train service that has begun. More people will come to receive the darshan of Maa Vaishno Devi, and it will help the tourism as well.”
