Jammu, April 30 -- Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday said no government in the last 42 years had the will to connect Srinagar by train and asserted that the new Vande Bharat Express service from Katra marked a "paradigm shift" in Indian Railways under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking after flagging off the train, Dr Singh said people had stopped expecting a rail link to the Valley for over four decades.

"You won't believe it, but for 42 years, there was no demand either. People had simply stopped expecting," Dr Singh said.

Recalling his visit to Katra 40 years ago, the Union Minister said the transformation in Jammu and Kashmir's infrastructure began only after Modi assumed office as Prime Minister.

"He said he would ...