PM Modi to flag off first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir on April 19: Jitendra Singh
The Hindu
PM Modi to flag off Vande Bharat train to Kashmir on April 19, marking completion of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat train to Kashmir on April 19 from Katra, marking the completion of the 272-kilometre Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.
The Jammu-Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will initially operate from Katra as the Jammu railway station is undergoing renovation.
According to officials, the rail link project was completed last month. Trial runs of the train on the Katra-Baramulla route have been successfully conducted. The Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the train service between Katra and Kashmir in January, they said.
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The Vande Bharat Express is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar, providing a modern and efficient rail service for the region, they said.
Speaking to reporters in Jammu on Sunday (March 30, 2025), Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, “Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Udhampur on April 19. He will visit the world’s highest railway bridge and inaugurate it. After that, he will flag off the Vande Bharat train from Katra.”
The inauguration of the train will fulfil a long demand for direct rail connectivity to Kashmir. Currently, train services operate only between Sangaldan and Baramulla in the Valley and from Katra to destinations across the country.
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