Domestic and international tourists travelling aboard the newly-inaugurated Vande Bharat Express from Katra to Srinagar on Saturday expressed joy and gratitude, praising the landmark rail service for revolutionising travel to the Kashmir Valley.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the high-speed train, marking the completion of the ambitious 272-kilometre Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL).

The train gracefully runs through narrow gorges, deep valleys crowned with lush green forests and towering Himalayan peaks, amid serpentine tunnels carved deep into the heart of the Shivaliks, with River Chenab running parallel to it.