Opinion | When the first train leaves without you

The new Srinagar–Katra train was meant to bring people closer. Right now, it’s leaving many behind. With only two trains running each way every day, tickets are gone weeks in advance. For students, workers, and patients who need to travel, getting a seat feels like winning a lottery.

Back in June 2025, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the service, the whole Valley celebrated. The Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was finally completed a project people had waited for their entire lives. Tunnels cut through mountains, bridges towered over valleys, and steel tracks stitched Kashmir to the rest of the country. It was more than a train it was a promise.

But that promise isn’t reaching everyone. Take Danish Habib, 25, who returned from Saudi Arabia after two years of hard work. He had dreamt of riding the Vande Bharat Express home, gliding through mountains instead of enduring long road trips. But when he reached Jammu, the excitement faded every train was booked solid for days.

No doubt, the USBRL is a huge achievement. It’s proof that even the toughest terrain can be conquered with will and planning. But a railway isn’t just about building tracks it’s about making sure people can actually ride the trains.

What’s needed now is simple: more local passenger trains, more frequent services, and a fair share of seats kept aside for urgent travel especially for students, patients, and those earning a daily wage.

The hard part building the line is done. The next step is making sure it works for everyone. With a few practical changes, the government can turn this from a symbol of progress into a real lifeline for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The train is one of the most dependable ways to connect people, especially in places like Jammu and Kashmir where mountains and harsh weather often make travel difficult. The new Srinagar Katra rail link is not just about speed or technology it’s about closing distances that once felt impossible. With tunnels through mountains and bridges over valleys, it has brought places closer in a way roads never fully could.

For many, a train means more than transport. It’s a way for students to reach their colleges without long, exhausting road trips. It’s how traders can send their goods faster and cheaper. It’s how patients can get to hospitals in bigger cities without the uncertainty of roadblocks or weather delays.

Trains are steady, affordable, and less affected by the traffic or landslides that can cut off road travel here. They carry people, but they also carry stories, opportunities, and hope.

In a region where isolation has been part of daily life, a train is more than steel tracks and carriage it’s a lifeline. It fills the gaps between towns, between families, and between dreams and the places where they can come true.