Jammu, April 29: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will flag off the extended Jammu-Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express service from Jammu Tawi Railway Station here on Thursday.

Along with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh; Lieutenant Governor J&K Manoj Sinha; Chief Minister J&K Omar Abdullah, Members of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma, Sat Sharma, and Gulam Ali Khatana will also be present.
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.
Regular commercial services will begin from May 2, operating six days a week except Tuesdays.
As per the schedule, the train will depart Jammu at 6:50 am and reach Srinagar at 11:10 am, while the return journey will leave Srinagar at 8:00 am and arrive in Jammu at 12:40 pm.
Officials said the service will significantly reduce travel time between the two capitals and provide a reliable alternative to road travel, especially during highway closures.
Earlier, passengers had to depend on road transport via Katra, often facing delays due to weather and traffic disruptions.
The Vande Bharat rake will now run with 20 coaches, increasing passenger capacity from the earlier eight-coach configuration. The train is equipped with modern facilities including the ‘Kavach’ safety system, GPS-based information display, and rotating seats for enhanced comfort.
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 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.
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.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Jammu, Uchit Singhal, said the service will offer a world-class travel experience and boost tourism and local economic activity across the region.
The train will traverse challenging Himalayan terrain, passing through tunnels and engineering landmarks including the Chenab Bridge and Anji Khad Bridge before entering the Kashmir Valley.
During his visit, the Railway 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 that now makes this extended Vande Bharat service possible.
The extension of the Vande Bharat to Jammu Tawi is the latest milestone in a decade-long effort to transform railway connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, said an official.
The Udhampur-Katra section was commissioned in 2014. The Kashmir Valley saw its first electric train in February 2024.
A dedicated Jammu Railway Division was created in January 2025. Stations at Jammu Tawi, Katra, Udhampur, and Budgam are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
The USBRL, built at a total cost of Rs 43,780 crore with 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges, is the connective tissue that makes all of it possible.
''When Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat on this corridor last year, it was a historic moment. Tomorrow's extension to Jammu Tawi takes that history forward and brings its benefits to millions more,'' the Minister added.