All Eyes on Kashmir Railway Connect

Festive cheer in Katra, the base city for Vaishno Devi shrine, ahead of inauguration ceremony

- Rajesh Kumar Thakur & Fayaz Wani @Katra/Srinagar

FESTIVE cheer filled Katra, the base city for the revered Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, ahead of a grand railway inauguration ceremony to be led by Prime Minister Modi on Friday, marking a new era of connectivity for Kashmir and the country.

The PM will flag off two new Kashmir-specific, specially designed Vande Bharat trains and inaugurate two engineering marvels: the Chenab Bridge (the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower) and the Anji Bridge, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge. "We are fortunate to witness a new rise in rail services which were earlier not even being thought out by us," said Nadeem, a young taxi driver, adding, "Development doesn't disseminate on caste or religion."