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Srinagar, Apr 5: Indian Railways is all set to introduce the first-ever Vande Bharat Express connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the inaugural run on April 19.
The full Delhi-to-Srinagar Vande Bharat service will follow in the second phase, tentatively scheduled for August or September this year. However, passengers travelling on the Delhi-Srinagar route will be required to change trains at Katra, where mandatory security and health protocols will be in place.
Despite being a single-ticket journey, all passengers will need to disembark at Katra, undergo security checks, and wait for 2–3 hours before continuing towards Srinagar. Northern Railway officials cited sensitive terrain, weather conditions, and security reasons for this arrangement. Passenger luggage will also be rechecked during this halt.
Officials explained that the pause at Katra is also aimed at helping travelers acclimatize to the shift in altitude from the plains to the mountains. The sharp elevation change can impact some passengers’ health, making a transition period necessary.
To ensure convenience, Indian Railways is establishing dedicated waiting lounges at Katra station to accommodate travelers during the mandatory halt. Officials confirmed that no additional ticketing will be required; the entire journey will be covered under one fare.
This move is seen as a major step in improving high-speed rail connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir, with the Vande Bharat Express poised to become a symbolic and practical bridge between the Valley and the national capital.
Out of the total 272 kms of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, 209 kms was commissioned in phases with the first phase of the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section commissioned in October 2009, followed by the 18 km Banihal-Qazigund link in June 2013, 25 kms of the Udhampur-Katra stretch in July 2014 and the 48.1 km Banihal-Sangaldan section in February, last year.
The work on the 46 km Sangaldan-Reasi section was also completed in June last year, leaving a 17 km stretch between Reasi and Katra which was also completed nearly three months ago, leading to the start of different trials of trains, including that of Vande Bharat.
The project involved an expenditure of Rs 41,000 crore.
On January 4, a successful trial run of an electric train was conducted on the Katra-Banihal section.
A series of trials over the past few months on various segments of the track, including the two major milestones of the Anji Khad and Chenab bridges, have been conducted.
The Vande Bharat Express Train between Katra and Srinagar has been specially designed with anti-freezing features.
Manufactured by Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF), this new Vande Bharat train can operate smoothly in extremely cold conditions as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. To ensure comfort for passengers and drivers, the train is equipped with advanced heating systems.
The safety features of the train include CCTV cameras and Emergency Talk Back Units.
The train has shatterproof windows and the windshield of the driver is equipped with a special anti-frost system that allows a clear field of vision.
The train to Kashmir will give a boost to tourism, horticulture, agriculture, industries, education, and to the average Kashmiri, who can now forget his fears about the strategic Jammu-Srinagar highway getting closed due to rain and snowfall.
The train will provide an uninterrupted all-weather connectivity, and the carriage of goods to and from the Valley will become much cheaper in the coming days.
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