(Image source from: Everything about new train for Vaishno Devi pilgrims flagged off by PM})

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a new train for Vaishno Devi pilgrims today. The PM is in Jammu and Kashmir to inaugurate the rail link between Katra and Udhampur.

The new rail link will connect the Vaishno Devi shrine with the whole country. This is the first time that Mr Modi is in Jammu and Kashmir, after he became Prime Minister.

After flagging off the train, PM Modi said that it was not just a mode of transportation but an avenue for development. He said infrastructure is the mother of development. Mr Modi also said that he wants to win over the people of Jammu and Kashmir through development.

PM Modi flew down to Katra in a chopper that he had boarded at Jammu. The PM flagged off the new train from Katra to Delhi, which would travel via Udhampur. The train will directly link Katra, the base town for Vaishno Devi shrine, to the rest of the country.

At present, pilgrims travel by train upto Jammu. Then they travel to the base town Katra by bus. After that pilgrims trek the14-km-long journey to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple shrine.

The new rail link has been constructed at a cost of 1132 crores. The Katra-Udhampur rail route was scheduled to be inaugurated in October last. But a segment of a tunnel caved in and it was delayed.

The total distance of the rail route is 25 km. It comes with seven tunnels, 29 minor and nine major bridges. With the new rail connectivity to Katra town, the city is expected to see a pilgrim rush.

The route includes the Jhajjar bridge, India's longest steel girder bridge. It has been built at a height of 85 metres. Besides the new train will also travel through India's longest tunnel, measuring 3.1 km.

Currently, 27 trains are connected to Jammu and Udhampur railway stations. According to estimates almost 85 % of the pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi travel by train till the last stop.

The Katra-Udhampur rail route is part of the Kashmir rail link project. It's an ambitious project to connect the region, via railway, with the whole country.

According to Railways official, around 50 lakh pilgrims visit the holy shrine each year. The new rail is expected to do good business on this route.

(Picture Source: ndtv.com)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)