Railway Min to flag off extended Sgr-Jmu Vande Bharat today

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30 Apr 2026

20-coach train to run from May 2 Vaishnaw to inspect world's highest Chenab rail bridge • 20 coaches • Runs at -20°C • Heated windshields • No Katra change • All-weather reliable • 266 km in 5 hours

New Delhi, Apr 29: Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw will flag off the extended Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat Express service from Jammu Tawi Railway Station on Thursday, April 30, with the train augmented from 8 to 20 coaches to meet rising popularity and increasing demand, according to a Ministry of Railways statement.

The train, which previously operated from Srinagar up to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, will now run all the way to Jammu Tawi, bringing the country's most modern train directly to Jammu and Kashmir's largest city and railway hub. 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 more than doubles seating capacity, significantly easing pressure on reservations and waitlists, particularly during peak pilgrimage and tourist seasons.

While the flag-off marks the inaugural run, the extended Jammu Tawi–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will enter regular service from May 2, 2026, with two pairs of services operating across the corridor covering approximately 266 km.

The first service (Train No. 26401) departs Jammu Tawi at 6:20 AM, halts at 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 on Wednesday.

The extension eliminates the mandatory interchange at Katra, allowing pilgrims arriving at Jammu Tawi from Delhi, Mumbai, and beyond to board the Vande Bharat directly and reach the Vaishno Devi base camp and Srinagar without changing trains. For tourists, the service provides a single, uninterrupted high-speed journey through some of the most breathtaking terrain on the subcontinent, including the Chenab and Anji bridges.

For residents, the extension eliminates the long-standing inconvenience of breaking journeys at Katra for commuting between Srinagar and Jammu. During winter, when the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is blocked due to heavy snowfall, the Vande Bharat—designed to operate in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius with heated windshields and all-weather components—will provide a reliable, weather-proof lifeline between the Valley and the rest of the country.

During his visit, the Union Minister will inspect the Anji Khad Bridge, India's first cable-stayed railway bridge rising 331 metres above the Anji River valley and anchored by 96 high-tensile cables. He will also inspect the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge at 359 metres above the riverbed—taller than the Eiffel Tower. Both structures are the backbone of the USBRL, the 272-km project through the Himalayas built at a total cost of ₹43,780 crore with 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges.