The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will now begin its journey from Jammu Tawi. (Image source: Northern Railway)
The summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir is all set to get just a train ride away from its winter capital.
On Thursday, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw will flag off the extended Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat Express service from Jammu Tawi Railway Station – a long standing demand of the people of the Union Territory.
With this, the premium chair-car train, which has been operating between Katra and Srinagar, will now begin its journey from Jammu Tawi station. The number of coaches of the rake has also been increased from eight to 20.
Officials said while the flag-off on April 30 will signify the inaugural train run, the daily Jammu Tawi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express service will start from May 2. The extension is also likely to pave the way for a direct train from New Delhi to Srinagar, said an official.
As of now, two Vande Bharat chair car trains operate between Katra and Srinagar. The extension of the service up to Jammu Tawi station was pending due to ongoing development works. With this extension, it will now take only four hours and 50 minutes to travel from Jammu to Srinagar, as against around eight hours it takes by road.
“The yard remodeling at Jammu station was important for the Vande Bharat train. It will provide all-weather travel between Jammu and Kashmir. The road connectivity in the region along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway often faces disruptions due to landslides, heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions. The Vande Bharat train is designed to operate at even -20 degree temperature,” said a Northern Railway official.
The first train will depart Jammu Tawi at 6.20 am and arrive at Srinagar at 11.10 am after making stops at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Reasi, and Banihal. At 2pm, the same train will leave Srinagar and reach Jammu Tawi by 6.50 pm. This pair will run six days a week, except Tuesdays.
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The second service will depart from Srinagar at 8 am and conclude at Jammu Tawi by 12.40 pm, after halts at Banihal and Katra. This train will return from Jammu Tawi at 1.20 pm and reach Srinagar by 6 pm. This pair will run six days a week, except Wednesdays.
The Vande Bharat train will run at an average speed of over 55 kmph.
The 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) became fully operational on June 6, 2025, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating its 63-km Katra-Sangaldan section, marking the completion of a project to link Kashmir to the rest of the country – which was first initiated 42 years ago.
On February 25, The Indian Express had reported about the Indian Railways’ decision to extend the services of the Vande Bharat Express up to Jammu Tawi station. In an internal communication, Northern Railway had said that the operation of services will start from March 1. However, the order was put on hold “due to unavoidable reasons”.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
