High passenger demand drove capacity expansion on J&K Vande Bharat: Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the Vande Bharat Express between Jammu and Srinagar will start from April 30 with additional coaches to meet the high demand.
He said the train was initially planned to run between Jammu and Srinagar but had to be launched from Katra in June last year due to renovation and upgrading work at the Jammu railway station.
“With the completion of the upgrade, the service will now operate from Jammu to Srinagar in both directions from April 30,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
According to northern Railway’s Jammu division, the premium train service, which has been running between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar for over nine months, will now be extended up to Jammu Tawi with 20 coaches from the present eight coaches.
The service was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 last year following the inauguration of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, which provided the Valley all-weather rail connectivity.
The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office said the rail link to Kashmir had remained stalled for years due to alignment issues, particularly in Reasi where the world’s highest railway bridge has now been constructed.
Expressing gratitude to Modi for prioritising infrastructure development in J-K, he said after Modi assumed office in 2014, it became possible to move the project forward.
“While the rail network had reached Jammu in 1962, renewed efforts in recent years have accelerated progress, resulting in improved connectivity and integration of the Kashmir with the rest of the country,” he said.
The tracks were extended beyond Jammu only after Modi came to power, eventually reaching from Katra to Srinagar, he said.
Highlighting the growing popularity of the service, the minister said tickets were being booked months in advance as passengers were keen to travel on the scenic route.
To accommodate the surge in demand, the number of coaches has been increased, he added.
The development marks a significant step in strengthening connectivity and boosting tourism and economic activity in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said.
Meanwhile, President of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Arun Gupta also expressed gratitude to the prime minister and Union Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw for the start of the direct rail service between Jammu and Srinagar, saying it will boost connectivity and morale of both the regions.
Gupta, however, expressed grave concern for shifting the already surveyed alignment of Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch rail link to new rail alignment via Reasi to Poonch which is more difficult terrain and may not only escalate the project cost but will also neglect the established population centres who are awaiting since long for this connectivity.
