Swapping trains at Katra will defeat purpose of Kashmir-Jammu rail link: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar, Jan 12 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said while the issue of passenger security on trains to the Valley was understandable, making the commuters change trains at Katra will defeat the very purpose of the rail link project.

“Just to remove any chance of any 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,” Abdullah said in a post on X.

Stating that the passengers can be checked at Katra or Jammu instead of making them swap trains, Abdullah said, “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.”

The chief minister’s remarks came in the wake of some media reports claiming that passengers travelling on the Kashmir-Jammu rail link will have to change trains at Katra on both sides of their journey.