Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated several important sections of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway to the nation on Friday.
Once this ambitious project is fully completed, road travel time from Delhi to Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra will reduce from around 14 hours to just 6 hours.
Similarly, the journey from Delhi to Amritsar will come down from about 8 hours to around 4 hours.
The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is a 667-kilometre-long corridor being developed at an estimated cost of around ₹38,905 crore.
New Expressway Sections Opened
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Modi dedicated the 157.92-kilometre-long four-lane Greenfield Expressway, covering Packages 1 to 5, during an event in Jind, Haryana.
This section has been built at a cost of approximately ₹9,680 crore.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 30.9-kilometre-long Package 6 in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Faster Travel and Less Traffic
After the entire expressway corridor becomes operational, the journey from Delhi to Katra will take about 6 hours, while Delhi to Amritsar will take around 4 hours.
The new expressway is also expected to reduce traffic congestion on the existing NH-44 (GT Road), making road travel smoother and easing pressure on the highway.
Tourism and Economic Growth to Benefit
The expressway will make travel much easier for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi. It will also improve connectivity between Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The project is expected to boost tourism, logistics, freight transportation, and industrial activities.
In addition, commercial and real estate development around major interchanges is likely to increase, supporting economic growth across North India.
India’s First Hydrogen Train Flagged Off
On Friday, PM Modi also flagged off India’s first hydrogen-powered train, which will operate between Jind
and Sonipat in Haryana. With this launch, India joins a select group of countries that have introduced hydrogen-powered trains.
The hydrogen train is seen as an important step towards promoting clean and sustainable transportation in the railway sector.
The train will cover the 89-kilometre route between Jind and Sonipat in about two hours and will stop at 12 stations along the way.
Built in India with Indigenous Technology
The Prime Minister waved as the train departed from Jind Railway Station. A large number of school children were also on board during the inaugural journey.
The train has been completely designed, developed, and assembled in India using indigenous technology, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities in advanced railway engineering.
The attractive sky-blue and white train runs on hydrogen fuel cell technology, which converts hydrogen into electricity to power the train.
It has 10 coaches, making it one of the longest hydrogen-powered passenger trains ever developed.
