Title - Train service till Katra likely by July-end

Jammu:
There is good news for more than 10 million devotees visiting Vaishno Devi shrine every year. Katra, the base camp of the shrine, will be accessible from New Delhi and other parts of the country through train by July-end.Otherwise these 10 million pilgrims used to take the land route from Jammu and Udhampur to reach Katra before starting their journey towards the shrine on foot or through helicopter.In a couple of months, the train is expected to reach Katra railway station which is considered a big achievement for the northern railways.“By July end, the train service will reach Katra. The last theatre of lining is being gauged and in another one and a half month locomotive will go through,” said General Manager of Northern Railway VK Gupta.Every year more than 10 million pilgrims from all over the country visit Vaishno Devi shrine situated on Trikuta hills at Katra. It is the second most visited shrine after Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh and is the temple of Goddess Vaishno.The railway station at Katra has been built on modern lines and will be the biggest station in the state. The Jammu railway station is one of the busiest stations of north India and when the train service reaches Katra, the rush will shift to this side.

Work on the Jammu-Udhampur rail link began in 1983, which was later extended up to Katra. The Jammu-Udhampur rail link was commissioned on April 13, 2005, by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by flagging off the train from Udhampur to Jammu. After more than eight years, the train service will reach Katra.

Keeping aside the amount spent and time consumed on the construction of rail link to Katra, the train will reach the footsteps of Vaishno Devi shrine, by July-end.