Vande Bharat Express set to roll between Srinagar and Jammu

With this extension, it will take a total of 4 hours 50 minutes to travel from Jammu to Srinagar now. The Vande Bharat train will run at an average speed of over 55 kmph.

People from Srinagar and Jammu will soon be able to cover the distance between the summer and winter capitals of Jammu and Kashmir in less than five hours.

Fulfilling a long-standing demand, Indian Railways has decided to extend the services of the Vande Bharat Express up to Jammu Tawi station and the rake will be upgraded from an eight-car to a 20-car configuration.

In an internal communication, Northern Railway had said that the operation of Vande Bharat Express from Jammu Tawi station will start from March 1. However, later it said that the order has been put on hold “due to unavoidable reasons”. Officials said that a decision on the date of operation from Jammu Tawi station will be taken in a week’s time.

Currently, two Vande Bharat chair car trains operate between Katra and Srinagar — with extension of the service up to Jammu Tawi station pending due to ongoing development works. With this extension, it will now take only four hours and 50 minutes to travel from Jammu to Srinagar, as against the eight hours it takes by road. The Vande Bharat train will run at an average speed of over 55 kmph.

“The yard-remodelling work was crucial for the operation of  Vande Bharat trains from Jammu Tawi station. Although the entire station’s redevelopment is not yet fully completed, the infrastructure required for the Vande Bharat service has been prepared keeping the convenience of passengers in mind,” said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway.

The official said that with road connectivity in the region – particularly along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway — often facing disruptions due to landslides, heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions, the extension of Vande Bharat services will offer an all-weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.

The Vande Bharat train from Jammu Tawi station will depart at 6.15 am and reach Srinagar at 11.10 am. The train from Srinagar will start at 2 pm and reach Jammu Tawi at 6.50 pm. It will have stops at Katra, Reasi and Banihal, apart from Jammu and Srinagar.

The extension of Vande Bharat services to Jammu station also paves the way for a direct train from New Delhi to Kashmir.

The 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) became fully operational on June 6, 2025, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating its 63-km Katra-Sangaldan section, marking the completion of a project to link Kashmir to the rest of the country – which was first initiated 42 years ago.

While different stretches of the project were made operational in phases earlier, the trickiest one, the 111-km Katra-Banihal section, was the most difficult. This included India’s longest operational transportation tunnel, T-50, spanning 12.77 km; the world’s highest railway arch bridge at 359 metres above the sea floor (the Chenab Bridge); and the first cable-stayed bridge of the Railways (the Anji Bridge).

The idea to connect Kashmir with a railway line between Jammu and Srinagar was first conceived by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1898. In 1905, he approved the construction of a narrow 762-mm gauge railway line via Reasi.

Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays a critical role in covering India's massive infrastructure sectors, providing in-depth reporting on the connectivity lifelines of the nation. Expertise & Focus Areas: Mishra’s journalism is focused on two of the country's most capital-intensive and public-facing ministries: Ministry of Railways: Tracking the operations, safety, and development of India's vast railway network. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Covering policy decisions, infrastructure projects, and highway development. What sets Mishra apart is his rigorous use of the Right to Information (RTI) Actas a primary tool for news gathering. By relying on official data and government records, he ensures a high degree of accuracy and trustworthiness in his reporting. This data-driven approach has resulted in numerous impactful reports that hold public institutions accountable and bring transparency to government operations. Find all stories by Dheeraj Mishra here ... Read More

People from Srinagar and Jammu will soon be able to cover the distance between the summer and winter capitals of Jammu and Kashmir in less than five hours.

Fulfilling a long-standing demand, Indian Railways has decided to extend the services of the Vande Bharat Express up to Jammu Tawi station and the rake will be upgraded from an eight-car to a 20-car configuration.

In an internal communication, Northern Railway had said that the operation of Vande Bharat Express from Jammu Tawi station will start from March 1. However, later it said that the order has been put on hold “due to unavoidable reasons”. Officials said that a decision on the date of operation from Jammu Tawi station will be taken in a week’s time.

Currently, two Vande Bharat chair car trains operate between Katra and Srinagar — with extension of the service up to Jammu Tawi station pending due to ongoing development works. With this extension, it will now take only four hours and 50 minutes to travel from Jammu to Srinagar, as against the eight hours it takes by road. The Vande Bharat train will run at an average speed of over 55 kmph.

“The yard-remodelling work was crucial for the operation of  Vande Bharat trains from Jammu Tawi station. Although the entire station’s redevelopment is not yet fully completed, the infrastructure required for the Vande Bharat service has been prepared keeping the convenience of passengers in mind,” said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway.

The official said that with road connectivity in the region – particularly along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway — often facing disruptions due to landslides, heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions, the extension of Vande Bharat services will offer an all-weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.

The Vande Bharat train from Jammu Tawi station will depart at 6.15 am and reach Srinagar at 11.10 am. The train from Srinagar will start at 2 pm and reach Jammu Tawi at 6.50 pm. It will have stops at Katra, Reasi and Banihal, apart from Jammu and Srinagar.

The extension of Vande Bharat services to Jammu station also paves the way for a direct train from New Delhi to Kashmir.

The 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) became fully operational on June 6, 2025, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating its 63-km Katra-Sangaldan section, marking the completion of a project to link Kashmir to the rest of the country – which was first initiated 42 years ago.

While different stretches of the project were made operational in phases earlier, the trickiest one, the 111-km Katra-Banihal section, was the most difficult. This included India’s longest operational transportation tunnel, T-50, spanning 12.77 km; the world’s highest railway arch bridge at 359 metres above the sea floor (the Chenab Bridge); and the first cable-stayed bridge of the Railways (the Anji Bridge).

The idea to connect Kashmir with a railway line between Jammu and Srinagar was first conceived by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1898. In 1905, he approved the construction of a narrow 762-mm gauge railway line via Reasi.