Jammu, April 22: Officials from Northern Railways announced on Wednesday that a direct train service between Jammu and Srinagar will commence on April 30.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh will flag off the service at Jammu Railway Station.
The Vande Bharat Express will operate between Jammu and Srinagar starting April 30. All preparations are complete. The trains and tracks are ready, and the trial run was successful. Security measures are in place, and the Railway Minister will officially launch the Vande Bharat Express from Jammu to Srinagar on that date.
In addition to Dr. Jitendra Singh, who represents the Kathua-Udhampur seat in the Lok Sabha, Jugal Kishore, the Lok Sabha member from Jammu constituency, will also participate in the flag-off ceremony.
Currently, two Vande Bharat Express trains are running between Katra and Srinagar, and these will now be extended to Jammu, with revised schedules to be announced by the railway department.
Besides the two trains operating between Jammu and Srinagar, there are also two similar trains running between New Delhi and Katra. The introduction of Vande Bharat Express trains will enhance connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar, reducing travel time significantly.
The dream of rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country has been pending for over a century. This vision became a reality when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train from Katra to Srinagar on June 6, 2025.
On the same day, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, providing year-round rail connectivity to the valley.
With the annual pilgrimage to Shri Amarnath starting on July 3, pilgrims from across the country can now reach Jammu and then take the train to Srinagar.
However, not all passengers, tourists, and common travelers can be accommodated on the train service, so the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway will remain the primary source of connectivity between the two divisions of the Union Territory.
In adverse weather conditions that block the National Highway, train services will prove to be very helpful for passengers.
The premium train service running between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar for over ten months will now be extended to Jammu Tawi.
The launch date for the direct train service between Jammu and Srinagar was initially set for March 1, 2026, but was later postponed.
Currently, this train operates with an eight-coach Vande Bharat rake between Srinagar and Katra, and it is expected to run with an upgraded rake of 20 coaches between Jammu and Srinagar.
The Jammu Railway Division, overseeing operational command in the Union Territory, was inaugurated in January 2025 and was notified from June 1, 2025. Since then, it has expanded freight operations by establishing cargo warehouses and managing shipments of military equipment and commercial goods from various parts of the country.
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