PM to inaugurate long-awaited Kashmir rail link today, J&K CM Omar says ‘better late than never’

Katra/Jammu: Noting that he has been “waiting for this day for a long time”, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the inauguration of rail service is better late than never as it will be a landmark occasion for the people of the valley.

He also said the start of the rail service will enable people to travel without spending much and put an end to the practice of some air service providers who “rob us” by selling tickets worth Rs 5,000 at Rs 20,000.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the much-awaited Kashmir rail link on Friday. He will also inaugurate the Chenab bridge and India’s first cable-stayed Anji bridge.

Abdullah invited pilgrims to come in large numbers for the annual 38-day Amarnath yatra, scheduled to commence in south Kashmir Himalayas on July 3.

“If I say that I have been waiting for this day for a long time, it won’t be an exaggeration. This project started when I was in school, maybe in class 7 or 8. Today, my children have also completed their education and are now working,” Abdullah told reporters at Katra Railway station.

Abdullah along with Union minister Jitendra Singh visited different venues of the prime minister’s function including the iconic Chenab railway bridge and Katra railway station.

They also inspected the specially-designed Vande Bharat train which will be flagged off by Modi to mark the completion of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country.

“Visited the tallest railway bridge in the world, the Chenab Bridge, to review arrangements for the visit of the PM tomorrow. Tomorrow is a landmark day for J&K when, finally, the valley will be connected to the rest of the country by a railway link to be inaugurated at the hands of the PM,” Abdullah wrote in a post on X.

“It is better late than never. Finally, we have reached that stage when the Prime Minister will come and inaugurate the Kashmir rail service which will benefit all of us,” he said.