STATE TIMES NEWS
PRAYAGRAJ: The North Central Railway on Thursday started a direct train service from Subedarganj station in Prayagraj to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, in line with a long-standing demand of devotees, officials said.
The Katra Jammu Mail will depart from Subedarganj station at 10:35 am daily and reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 9:15 am the following day, North Central Railway PRO Amit Malviya said.
The train will pass Fatehpur, Govindpuri, Tundla, Aligarh, Chipiyana Buzurg, Delhi, Sabzi Mandi, Narela, Sonipat, Ganaur, Samalkha, Kurukshetra, Ambala Cantt, he said.
On the return journey, the train will depart Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 3:20 pm daily and reach Subedarganj at 12:35 pm the following day.
Praveen Patel, the MP for Phulpur, where Prayagraj is located, said, “It is a very auspicious day for the people of Prayagraj. The long-standing demand for a direct train to Mata Vaishno Devi Dham has been fulfilled. Earlier, people had to go to Delhi first and face a lot of trouble there.”
He said the government’s “gift” to the people of Prayagraj would also benefit devotees of surrounding districts who would be able to travel directly to Katra and visit Mata Vaishno Devi.