- New Vande Bharat Express will start on April 30 connecting Jammu and Kashmir regions
- The train route covers Jammu Tawi, Udhampur, Katra, Banihal, Anantnag, and Srinagar stations
- Travel time between Jammu and Srinagar will reduce to around five hours with the new service
A new Vande Bharat Express will soon connect the regions of Jammu and Kashmir. The direct train service will make its debut on Thursday, April 30, the Ministry of Railways confirmed. This marks a significant step towards developing one of India's most geographically challenging landscapes for rail transport. The train service is expected to make travel to the Kashmir Valley easier and more reliable and, at the same time, support tourism and development. With this, the long-pending Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project now stands completed.
Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Route
The direct train between Jammu and Srinagar will run on one of India's most challenging rail routes. The journey will begin from Jammu Tawi station, and it will pass through Udhampur, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Banihal, and Anantnag before reaching Srinagar. Some services can be extended to Baramulla, depending on schedules. The train will also travel over the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest rail bridge, along with tunnels through the Pir Panjal range.
Direct Connectivity With Jammu Tawi
The new train service will improve connectivity at Jammu Tawi railway station, thus reducing the inconvenience previously faced by many travellers. Until now, people coming from other parts of the country had to continue their journey to Katra to board a train to Srinagar. With the new semi-high-speed train, passengers will be able to switch trains directly at Jammu Tawi, making their journey more convenient.
Officials said that this change will benefit both tourists and regular commuters.
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Convenient During Harsh Weather Conditions
The Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat has been specially designed to operate in the region's extreme weather conditions. Reportedly, one of its standout features is that the train has been winterised to handle heavy snowfall and low temperatures, ensuring services continue even during harsh weather in the Kashmir Valley.
Reduced Travel Time
The travel time between Jammu and Srinagar used to take longer due to terrain and weather. It will now be completed in around five hours.
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Safety Features Onboard
The train comes equipped with several modern features to improve passenger comfort and safety, including CCTV cameras in all coaches, real-time monitoring of compartments and entry/exit points, integration with control centres for security, automatic doors, GPS-based passenger information systems, and emergency communication systems, among others.
