Officials said Srinagar, June 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rides on the newly launched Wande Bharat Express from Srinagar to Katra on Thursday.
Omar was accompanied by his advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani.
“Omar boarded the train from Novam railway station to Katra this morning,” an official said. “He will later go to Jammu.”
It also comes to Katra in the same train exactly nine days after Farooq Abdullah, his father, experienced politician and president of the National Conference.
The Vande Bharat Express, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, started operations on 7 June and gained popularity among local people, pilgrims and tourists. Two semi-high-speed trains now connect the Kashmir Valley through Banihal to Katra in Jammu, six days a week, Wednesday only as a non-conduct day. Most of the train services are already fully booked, which reflect public enthusiasm for this long -awaited project.
At the official launch event of the train on 6 June, Omar Abdullah appreciated the development as a historic milestone.
“Even during British rule, plans were conceived – such as the proposed URI and Jhelum railway lines – but they remain incomplete. The British who could not achieve, you (Narendra Modi) have created a reality. You have connected Kashmir to the rest of India and through it, through the wide world.
