Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to flag off extended Srinagar-Jammu Vande Bharat tomorrow

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 J&K'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 6th June 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.

For pilgrims who have watched seats sell out days in advance, for tourists planning a trip to the Valley, and for locals who rely on this service for everyday travel, the expanded rake means the train is now far less likely to turn them away. 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 tomorrow's flag-off marks the inaugural run, the extended Jammu Tawi–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will enter regular service from 2nd May 2026. 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.

Together, the two pairs ensure that passengers have a morning and an afternoon Vande Bharat option from both ends of the corridor on most days of the week, giving travellers meaningful flexibility in planning their journeys.

Extending the Vande Bharat's run from Katra all the way to Jammu Tawi is a straightforward but consequential change for ordinary travellers across the entire J&K region. Until now, pilgrims and passengers arriving at Jammu Tawi Railway Station, which is one of the busiest railheads in northern India, connecting trains from Delhi, Mumbai, and beyond had to change trains or arrange separate road transport to reach Katra. With the extension, they 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.

The same seamless journey works in the other direction too. A traveller boarding at Srinagar will now be able to reach Jammu Tawi in a single, unbroken ride, connecting directly to the national rail network.