Vaishnaw to flag off Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat

The twin Capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar will now be directly connected with smooth and safe travel following the launch of the Vande Bharat Express service from Jammu on Thursday. Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw is set to flag off the extended Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat Express from the refurbished Jammu Tawi Railway Station.

While flag-off marks the inaugural run, the extended Jammu Tawi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will enter regular service from May 2, 2026. Two pairs of services will operate across the corridor, covering a distance of around 266 km.

Following the flag-off, the Union Minister will subsequently inspect two of the most remarkable engineering structures on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the Anji Bridge and the Chenab Bridge.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express on June 6, 2025, the train ran with 8 coaches. Since then, the train has consistently been running at full capacity, with an overwhelming response from passengers.

The decision to augment the rake to 20 coaches is a direct response to that demand, more than doubling the train’s seating capacity at a stroke, and significantly easing the pressure on reservations and waitlists, particularly during peak pilgrimage and tourist seasons.

The extension is expected to give a significant boost to tourism across the entire J&K corridor, making the region accessible to a far broader segment of travellers who may have been deterred by the logistics of the journey.

The first service of Vande Bharat (Train number 26401) will depart from Jammu Tawi at 6:20 am, halt at Shri Mata.