New Delhi: Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that Indian Railways will connect the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari before August 15, 2022.

"Katra to Banihar section is being constructed quickly and work on Chenab bridge is underway. Soon Indian Railways will connect the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari before August 15th, 2022. Earlier, work was halted due to terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir," he said at theflagging-off ceremony of Vande Bharat train from New Delhi to Katra.

Hailing the Centre`s decision of abrogating Article 370, headded, "Acting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s decision of abrogatingArticle 370, Amit Shah has taken bold steps. People are now associating themselveswith Kashmir. Prime Minister on August 15 said Vande Bharat train will go toevery corner of the country. Indian Railways will connect the country fromKashmir to Kanyakumari and Kamrup to Kutch before August 15, 2022".

The minister also outlined that Wi-Fi facility is availableat 5,000 railway stations and in the coming days around 6,500 stations will beconnected with the facility."The Home Minister has emphasised on securityin trains and railway stations. We are installing CCTV cameras at railwaystations," he said.

Goyal and Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with UnionMinisters Dr Jitendra Singh and Dr Harsh Vardhan flagged-off the Vande BharatExpress from New Delhi to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.

Shah said that the train will boost tourism in Jammu andKashmir.

"Before the abrogation of Article 370, there were manyobstacles in J-K`s path to development. In the next 10 years, J-K will be oneof the most developed states. The journey of development has begun with VandeBharat Express set to boost tourism in the state," he said.Union MinisterJitendra Singh, who represents Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency also said thatnew opportunities will become available in the valley after the abrogation of Article370.

He also said that the Vande Bharat Express will furtherpropagate the message of Prime Minister Modi`s new vision about Jammu andKashmir.