PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat train between Katra and Srinagar

India Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains connecting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar, ahead of inaugurating the iconic Chenab Railway Bridge. At Katra Railway Station, he also interacted with school children aboard the train, marking a significant moment for rail connectivity in Jammu & Kashmir.

Transcript

00:00Prime Minister Modi is in the train.

00:01He was interacting with some of the school students in Katara.

00:04That visual has surfaced.

00:06Remember, for people of Jammu, for the students,

00:09let's try and dip in.

00:10And if there is a conversation, audio as well there in this video.

00:14All right, so this is Srinagar.

00:16So we are constantly toggling between Jammu and Srinagar.

00:19Remember, it's one state, one union territory.

00:21And yet the rail route was only till Jammu,

00:23specifically Katara area, where the Mata Vaishnu Devi Mandir is.

00:27People could go there.

00:27And if they want to go to Kashmir from Jammu, from Katara,

00:31they could take a train.

00:31That's the flag-off visual.

00:33What a moment.

00:346 June 2025.

00:36Prime Minister Modi flags off the Vande Bharat Express.

00:40On one side, the visual from the Kashmir Valley

00:43and another from Jammu.

00:45Mr. Omar Abdullah.

00:57He connected via rail route to the states of India.

01:02And now, from this, from Katara,

01:05it heads into the Kashmir Valley.

01:06Kashmir via rail route integrated with the rest of the country.

01:10A lot has happened in the past few years,

01:13but specifically in the past few weeks.

01:16This, in many ways, is a messaging after Pehalga massacre.

01:19That our political will, our administrative skills,

01:23people support, will continue to come in

01:26to ensure peace and prosperity for all of Jammu Kashmir.

01:29Look at the pride and the smile on the face of Prime Minister Modi

01:32realizing the kind of achievement this has been,

01:35interacting with the young students from schools in Jammu and Katara,

01:39who can now take a train journey as affordable as well.

01:41So, Piyush Mishra is on board the train that's heading now.

01:45It's the Vande Bharat Express heading to Srinagar,

01:47while Mir Farid is at the railway station in Srinagar.

01:50So, these are the visuals coming in.

01:51Let's try and dip in to the audio from the video.

01:57So, these are little school students

02:00who Prime Minister Modi is interacting with.

02:02Some blessing, some interaction, of course,

02:04with the local pilots, with the engineers,

02:07to help understand.

02:09And remember, for the local pilots as well,

02:11to be able to sit in this engine

02:13and first journey

02:15that will be embarked now toward Kashmir.

02:19I also see Dr. Jitendra Singh,

02:21who's a resident of Jammu

02:22and, of course, who's a minister in the government at the centre.

02:25For him, as much, of course,

02:27a personal and a professional achievement.

02:30Therefore, you see him right next to Prime Minister Navarrete Modi.

02:33That's also, that's Ramneet Singh.

02:35That's the visual from Kashmir Valley.

02:37So, we are constantly showing you both.

02:39So, one train leaves from Jammu region

02:41three hours later, we'll enter into Srinagar.

02:44One train leaves from the Kashmir Valley,

02:46enters into the Jammu region.

02:48This is a long wait, ladies and gentlemen,

02:51for the people of the region,

02:55but as much about, with regard

02:57to a certain political will of the country.

02:59It's been long in the making.

03:01Like I said, started with a proposal

03:03from Indira Gandhi's tenure,

03:04then PV Narsimha Rao's government

03:06and sanctioning the project in 94.

03:09Then 2002, work started to begin in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

03:12There was funding acquisition.

03:14Also speaks of the delay.

03:15This could have happened much earlier.

03:17It did not.

03:18Finally, in 2025.

03:19Look at it in the background.

03:20That's Jammu.

03:21The residents cheering with the tri-colour school students present

03:25and the locals as well.

03:27You don't have to spend a bomb right now

03:29to be able to take a flight into Kashmir.

03:31But I can tell you,

03:32it's very likely that the train is going to be packed

03:34and it could be,

03:35your name could be in the waiting list for a while.

03:37There would be a lot of excitement to take this train.

03:40And I want to go back to Piyush.

03:42So you are now looking through the Jammu region

03:46from the train.

03:48And I hope I'll be able to take this train journey very soon

03:52because I have to say that, of course,

03:53while the visuals of when you land in Kashmir

03:56via the flight is beautiful,

03:59so is the road route as well,

04:01especially when you cross the Banehal Tunnel.

04:03But to do it through a train journey,

04:05we all understand how special that moment can be

04:08to be entering from Jammu into Kashmir

04:10and back and forth.

04:11It saves time.

04:12Like Fareed has been saying,

04:13it's as much about tourism

04:15because a lot of these trucks

04:16could get stuck at the tunnel

04:19or in Ramban or in the Kashmir Valley

04:21when they had to cross the tunnel

04:22because there would just be a lot of inconvenience

04:24with regard to climate change,

04:26snowfall, security issues and more.

04:28Now, possibly with the train journey,

04:31many of our entrepreneurs,

04:33those involved in business,

04:34especially with regard to fruits,

04:35vegetables and more,

04:36will be able to have a smooth journey.

04:39But I have to remind and reiterate,

04:41it's all good to talk about the achievements,

04:43the happiness and the joy,

04:44but it's after all Jammu Kashmir

04:46where recently,

04:47barely about two months ago

04:49and a few days ago,

04:51we have seen the Pehelgaab Massacre

04:52on 22nd April.

04:55And therefore,

04:55while this resilience

04:56looks all good,

04:59the agencies,

05:00the security establishment

05:01will have to be on toes all the time

05:03because this is something

05:04Pakistan-sponsored terrorists

05:06will not like,

05:07this integration,

05:09this peace and prosperity

05:10coming to JNK.

05:12And therefore,

05:13it will be as much,

05:14if it's an all-weather rail route,

05:17it will have to be

05:18a 24-7 security zone as much

05:21with regard to the bridge maintenance,

05:23with regard to the safety

05:24of the passengers.

05:25So that's the first visual

05:26of the screen

05:27from inside the Vande Bharat.

05:29Looks comfortable,

05:30I must say.

05:30And because it's a three-hour journey,

05:32there's a reason that it's,

05:33you can see that this is a seat car,

05:36seat train,

05:36that doesn't really need,

05:39possibly if I'm correct,

05:40doesn't have the sleeper seats,

05:43at least in this specific train.

05:45But could there be, of course,

05:46more railway services

05:47that could add in?

05:48And Piyush Mishra was showing us

05:50just about a short while ago,

05:51there were commandos in the train.

05:53That will be the reality

05:54of the train journey in JNK.

05:56Remember,

05:57it's for the safety

05:58of people on board.

Category

Transcript

Recommended