Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday flagged off four new passenger trains on Banihal-Baramulla and Baramulla-Budgam routes in Kashmir Valley via video conferencing here.
With the addition of four new trains, the total number of trains running in the valley has increased to 30.
"It was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's plan to flag off these trains but due to his bad health the plan got delayed. But I'm glad that his daughter Mehbooba Mufti is with us today to grace the occasion. Development of Jammu and Kashmir has always been the priority for our government and we will continue to do good work in the state," Prabhu said.
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh along with other government officials flagged off the train from Anantnag.
The rail line in the Kashmir Valley was constructed in phased manner. The 137-km-long line between Baramullah and Banihal has reduced travel time by more than half.
"Earlier it used take around five to six hours by road. But by train, the distance is covered in two and a half-hours", Prabhu noted.
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The train line between Katra in Jammu and Banihal in Kashmir is expected to be complete by 2020.
--IANS
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