Request will be made to increase train capacity: J&K CM Abdullah

Jammu, Jun 20 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who on Friday returned to Srinagar via the Vande Bharat train from Katra, said that a request will be made to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Railway Ministry to increase the capacity of trains.

The chief minister had travelled on the Vande Bharat train from Srinagar on Thursday along with his father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. They returned to Srinagar this afternoon.

Raising the issue of high demand for train travel, Abdullah said, "The number of passengers is high, but there are fewer trains." A request will be made to the Railway Ministry and the Railway Minister to increase the capacity as the tickets are reportedly unavailable until next month, he added.

Earlier on June 10, the National Conference president took his maiden ride on this train from Srinagar to Katra and said that he was overwhelmed to see Kashmir finally getting connected to the country's rail network.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express on June 6 after visiting the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra station as part of his visit to Jammu and Kashmir. PTI AB AS AS