Delhi To Kashmir New Train: After waiting for decades, the dreams of the local people of the Valley have been shattered after hearing that there will be no direct train to the Kashmir Valley from New Delhi. Be it a common citizen, the business community, or politicians, everyone is opposing this decision and wants the government to reconsider it. Earlier, it was speculated that Delhi to Srinagar route will get a Vande Bharat Sleeper connectivity.
The railway authorities have recently released a schedule explaining that there will be no direct train to the Kashmir Valley and all passengers traveling to the valley will have to deboard and board a new train at Katra station. This decision has dampened the excitement that locals had shown regarding the completion of the rail network.
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, also expressed disappointment regarding the decision not to have a direct train to the Kashmir Valley. “Just to remove any chance of misunderstanding, while we understand the need to secure the train and the passengers who will travel using it, making passengers change trains will defeat the very purpose of the line and render the thousands of crores of investment pointless. Check the train/passengers in Katra or Jammu, sure, but NO change of train will be supported by us. That said, there is no concrete proposal, and when there is, we will give our inputs/suggestions,” said Omar Abdullah.
Imran Nabi, Spokesperson for the National Conference, said, “It is very unnecessary to ask the passengers to deboard at Katra. As they are talking from a security perspective, we can request the authorities that if the security checks are done in Srinagar instead of Katra, it would be a great help to the people here. All the excitement and hope that people had with this train are defeated. Our CM has also said that it’s unnecessary to deboard at Katra, and he has also requested the Union Railways Minister to look into it.”
The business community, which had earlier shown a lot of excitement for the start of the railway, is also disappointed with no direct train to the valley. They say it will impact the horticulture and tourism sectors badly if there are no trains directly connecting the Kashmir Valley. They have requested the central government to reconsider the decision.
Manzoor Pakhtoon, President of the Houseboat Association, said, “We are wanting direct trains from Delhi to Srinagar, so tourists and locals can board at one place. It’s the initial stage, but we are hoping it will be done in the future. It was a long-pending demand that we need to be connected to the rest of the country, and there were many tourists who could not come here due to budgetary issues. It will boost the economy. We are hopeful that trains will come to Srinagar directly. At least one direct train needs to be there for Kashmir as well.”
It’s not only the politicians and the business community of the Valley who are disappointed by the move but also the locals, who had great expectations with the arrival of the rail to the Kashmir Valley, are disheartened.
Haya Javaid, a local, said, “The people were super excited about the start of the train service to the Kashmir Valley, but it has turned out very disappointing as there will be no direct train. The train will stop at Katra. Sick people who cannot afford air travel were happy that the train service would be direct, but with the change of trains at Katra, it will not serve any purpose. The government needs to rethink the decision. If there is a security issue, the frisking and checking can be done there itself.”
Another local, Mudasir Sikandar, said, “It’s very unfortunate that Katra has been kept as a stop. We were hoping it would be a direct train. It’s not just a stop; we have to change trains at that station. Tourists will not be able to come here directly, and it will impact the travelers. It would have been a great trip had it been direct. The government needs to rethink this and make it easier for the people.”
The train service is expected to start from January 26 and will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
