Katra (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 5 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania on Saturday said that the long-standing dream of connecting Kashmir with the Indian railway network will be fulfilled when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the first Vande Bharat Express to the Valley from Katra.

Speaking to ANI, Pathania said that the inauguration will be a landmark moment for Jammu and Kashmir, particularly for its political, social, and economic development.

'History will be written in the political, social, and economic landscape of Kashmir. Kashmir is ours, and it was a dream to connect Kashmir with rail lines. We will warmly welcome PM Modi on April 19. All the people of Jammu and Kashmir thank PM Modi,' said the BJP MLA from Udhampur East.

Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir from Katra on April 19.

He said that the train services for the inaugural Vande Bharat would start from Katra temporarily since the Jammu railway station remains under construction. Highlighting the importance of the inaugural event, the Union Minister said that the Vande Bharat would connect the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country.

'PM Narendra Modi will visit Udhampur on April 19 to inaugurate the Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat, and the service is being started from Katra temporarily because of the Jammu railway station being under construction... This will be a grand event connecting Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country,' Singh told reporters.

On January 23, Indian Railways conducted the trial run of the first Vande Bharat train from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) railway station to the Srinagar railway station. The train will run through Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge and Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world.

This train has been designed keeping in mind the cold climate conditions of the Kashmir valley.

Northern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, said earlier that the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project will significantly reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar. The new Vande Bharat Express will cut down the travel time from the current 6-7 hours by road to just 3 hours.

'The Vande Bharat Express train will cut the Katra-Srinagar journey to just 3 hours, compared to the current 6-7 hours by road. At present, train services run between Srinagar and Sangaldan in the valley. Once the railway line from Sangaldan to Katra becomes operational, these trains can be extended to Katra,' he said. (ANI)