Katra Railway Station Big Update: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the Mata Vaishno Devi railway station in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra at a cost of Rs 40 crore which will enhance and upgrade the railway station and facilities provided to the passengers at the station. The redevelopment project will be carried out as part of the Amrit Bharat Station scheme. Along with Katra railway station, PM Narendra Modi on Monday laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 553 railway stations across the country at a cost of more than Rs 19,000 crore.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated that the 553 railway stations chosen for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme are spread across 27 states and Union territories (UTs).

553 Railway stations will be redeveloped at a cost of over Rs 19000 crore

The statement further read that these stations will be redeveloped at a cost of more than Rs 19,000 crore. The stations will act as city centres, integrating both sides of a city, and will have modern passenger amenities, such as roof plazas, beautiful landscaping, inter- modal connectivity, improved modern facades, a play area for kids, kiosks and food courts.

The stations will be redeveloped as environment-friendly and Divyang-friendly. The designs of these station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.

Following the laying of foundation stone by the prime minister, Union minister Jitendra Singh unveiled a plaque marking the formal redevelopment of the Mata Vaishno Devi railway station, which is part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency, reports suggest.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh lauds PM Modi’s Efforts

Addressing a gathering, Jitendra Singh stated that the inclusion of the Katra station in the Amrit Bharat Station scheme reflected the prime minister's special focus for the development of the region.

He further added that the station was among the first stations chosen for the rollout of the Vande Bharat train. The station also held the distinction of being the first station in the country where a solar power facility was unveiled.

"As part of today's endeavour, besides the Katra station, three other stations Udhampur, Jammu and Budgam will also be redeveloped as Amrit stations. Among the four, three are in the Jammu region. This reinforces the prime minister's commitment for the development of Jammu and Kashmir," Singh said.

The Union minister said the Katra station will emerge as an inter- modal station, integrating rail, road and air travel so that people can move from one mode to another seamlessly and added that PM Modi choose Katra, which is the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, as part of the country's development journey.

Railway is becoming mainstay of ease of travel: PM Modi

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi said on Monday that today’s Railway is becoming a mainstay of ease of travel for the citizens.

Commenting on the transformation of railways, PM Modi said, “As the economy jumps to 5th place in global ranking from 11th, there is a massive increase in the railway budget from 45 thousand crore about 10 years ago to 2.5 lakh crore today.”

“Just imagine how much our strength will increase when we become the third largest economic superpower in the world. Therefore, Modi is working hard to make India the third largest economy in the world as soon as possible”, he added.

PM Modi also credited saving of money due to absence of scams and the saved money being used in doubling the speed of laying new lines, taking rails to new areas from Jammu and Kashmir to the Northeast, and working on 2,500 Km dedicated freight corridor.

The prime minister also said that every penny of taxpayers' money is being used for the welfare of the commuters and as a result a 50 percent discount on every railway ticket is also given by the government.