Jammu, Apr 30 (UNI) Finally, the dream to travel from Jammu to Srinagar in the state-of-the-art, Vande Bharat Express has come true on Thursday as union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the extended Jammu-Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express service here from Jammu Tawi Railway Station.
The Express train will cover the nearly 267 kilometres of run in around five hours.
The train, which previously operated from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar, will now run all the way from Jammu Tawi, bringing the country’s most modern train directly to J&K’s largest city and railway hub.
Along with union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh; Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, Members Parliament; Sat Sharma and Gulam Ali Khatana were also present at the flagging off ceremony.
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.
With the extension to Jammu Tawi happening simultaneously, the 20-coach Vande Bharat arrives at its largest catchment city with the capacity to match it, a train finally built to the scale of the demand it has always inspired.
While today’s flag-off marked the inaugural run, the extended Jammu Tawi–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will enter regular service from May 2.
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.
However, two pairs of services will operate across the corridor, covering a distance of around 266 km.
The first service (Train No. 26401) departs Jammu Tawi at 6:20 AM, halts at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Reasi, and Banihal, arriving at Srinagar at 11:10 AM, a journey of four hours and fifty minutes.
Its return (Train No. 26402) leaves Srinagar at 2:00 PM and reaches Jammu Tawi by 6:50 PM.
This pair runs six days a week, except Tuesday.
The second service (Train No. 26404) departs Srinagar at 8:00 AM, halts at Banihal and Katra, and arrives at Jammu Tawi by 12:40 PM. Its return (Train No. 26403) departs Jammu Tawi at 1:20 PM and reaches Srinagar by 6:00 PM.
This pair runs six days a week, except Wednesday.
With the extension, the pilgrims from across the country will be able to board the Vande Bharat directly at Jammu Tawi and reach the Vaishno Devi base camp at Katra, and travel onwards all the way to Srinagar, without a single interchange.
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 ₹43,780 crore with 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges, is the connective tissue that makes all of it possible.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat on this corridor last year, it was a historic moment.
