Vaishnaw to flag off Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat on Thursday; services from May 2

Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw will flag off a 20-coach Vande Bharat Express train between Jammu and Srinagar on April 30, while the services for the general public will commence on May 2. The direct train services between Srinagar and Jammu will reduce the travel time between the twin capitals of Jammu and Kashmir, and boost tourism besides providing an all-weather surface transport link. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first direct train service between Katra and Srinagar on June 6 last year. This service is now being extended up to the Jammu Tawi railway station. The work on the Rs 43,780-crore rail project, linking Kashmir to the rest of the country, began in the late 1990s with the first train operating in the Kashmir valley in October 2008. While the train services had reached Udhampur by 2005, the treacherous terrain through the mountainous Pir Panjal range made it tough to link the valley with the rest of the country till 2025. ''The modern 20-coach Vande Bharat train will commence its maiden journey from Jammu Tawi (JAT), traversing the route up to Srinagar while connecting the challenging geographical terrains of the valley,'' the officials said. They said a train from Srinagar will start moving simultaneously towards Jammu. Before the commencement of this significant service, a trial run of the Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat was conducted on Tuesday from Jammu to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, the officials said. The inaugural Vande Bharat train, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and comprising 20 coaches, will cover a distance of 267 kilometres on Thursday. The train service will operate six days a week from Jammu to Srinagar and Srinagar to Jammu. There will be no train service on this route on Tuesdays. ''Constructed using indigenous technology, this Vande Bharat Express will offer passengers a world-class travel experience,'' Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said. ''It features amenities such as the 'Kavach' safety system for passenger security, a GPS-based information system and comfortable rotating seats. This service will not only reduce travel time but also provide a massive boost to the local economy and tourism,'' he added. While talking to reporters on Monday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, ''It will definitely give a boost (to the tourism sector). You may recall that I have repeatedly pointed out that the train's capacity has been limited so far.'' ''Only an eight-coach train was running between Katra and Srinagar. Now, it will be a 20-coach train, which means more passengers will be able to travel,'' he said. Following the flag-off, Vaishnaw is scheduled to visit two of the most remarkable engineering structures on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the Anji Bridge and the Chenab Bridge. The extension of the Vande Bharat to Jammu Tawi is the latest milestone in a decade-long effort to transform railway connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir. The Udhampur-Katra section was commissioned in 2014. The Kashmir Valley saw its first electric train in February 2024 while a dedicated Jammu Railway Division was created in January 2025. Stations at Jammu Tawi, Katra, Udhampur and Budgam are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The USBRL, built at a total cost of Rs 43,780 crore with 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges, is the connective tissue that makes all of it possible.

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