First Delhi-Katra `Shri Shakti Express` arrives at New Delhi station

New Delhi: The first Delhi-Katra `Shri Shakti Express` arrived at the New Delhi Railway Station here on Tuesday. The service, which began from Monday, is aimed at facilitating the travel of pilgrims who are visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. All the passengers appreciated the service saying that the train is very convenient and has very nice facilities. "We had very nice journey and didn`t face any problem and the best part is that now it will be very convenient to visit Vaishno Devi shrine, said Mahesh, a passenger." We thank the government for giving us such a convenient train. It`s the first time in so many years that a superfast passenger train has been linked from Delhi to Katra. It`s not only convenient for the visitors of Vaishno Devi but also for the local residents of Katra," another passenger added. Comprising one first AC, five AC two-tier and nine AC three-tier coaches, the train will have stoppages at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot Cantt, Jammu Tawi and Udhampur stations enroute in both directions. On July 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off the inaugural train from Katra in Jammu, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine. The Katra-Udhampur rail line is around 25 kilometres long and consists of the 9.4 kilometres long Udhampur-Chak Rakhwal and 15.5 kilometres long Chak Rakhwal-Mata Vaishno Devi Katra sections. The approximate cost of this section is Rs 1,132 crores. The bridge on River Jhajjar is the longest steel girder bridge in India with a height of 85 meters. There are eight tunnels and 29 minor bridges on Udhampur- Katra track.