The Katra-Udhampur rail section has been built at a cost of 1132 crores
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Jammu and Kashmir, his first visit to the state after becoming the Prime Minister. Shortly after reaching Jammu, the Prime Minister inaugurated a rail link between Katra and Udhampur, connecting the Vaishno Devi shrine with rest of the country.
Here are the 10 facts about the new train:
Mr Modi landed in Jammu and then flew by chopper to Katra, where he flagged off a new train from Katra to Delhi via Udhampur, providing a direct link to the base town for the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.
The pilgrims currently have to take a train to Jammu and from there, take a bus to Katra. From where they begin their 14-km-long journey to the temple shrine.
The 25-km-long rail link that has been inaugurated today has seven tunnels, 29 minor and nine major bridges and is expected to ease the pilgrim rush in Jammu city.
The new rail link also has the Jhajjar bridge, country's longest steel girder bridge that is built at a height of 85 metres. The train will also pass through 3.1 km long tunnel, said to be India's longest.
The Katra-Udhampur rail section has been built at a cost of 1132 crores. The rail route was slated to be commissioned in October last but it got delayed after a portion of a tunnel caved in.
An estimated 50 lakh people visit the shrine every year and a Railways official said they expected "good demand" on the new line.
At present, there are 27 trains which touch Jammu and Udhampur railway stations. An estimated 85 per cent of pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine use the railway facility.
The train connectivity to Katra is part of the ambitious Kashmir rail link project marking region's rail connectivity with the rest of the country.
After inaugurating the train at Katra, Mr Modi will go to Srinagar and will address troops of the Indian Army at the Badami Bagh Cantonment.
He will lunch with Governor N N Vohra at the Raj Bhawan and then leave for Uri, where he will inaugurate the second phase of a 240 MW hydel power project. Mr Modi will return to Delhi in the evening.
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