Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating an ambitious and game-changing Railway route on April 19, which will reduce the traveling time to Kashmir to just three hours, connecting the region to different parts of the country.
The train route will specifically connect Srinagar with Katra, providing comfort and reduced traveling time for both tourists and local commuters.
While shedding light on the same, a railway official mentioned that this latest Vande Bharat train would “reduce traveling time from Katra to Srinagar to a mere three hours. Currently, the journey takes around 6 to 7 hours via road.”
It is a new rail route in the region. Currently, the services are only available between Baramulla, Srinagar Sangaldan, and Kashmir. The officials, while highlighting the same, mentioned, “Now that Sangaldan has been connected to Katra in Jammu via rail, trains can run between the whole stretch.”
What will this new route offer?
State-of-the-Art Technology - This newly launched Vande Bharat 2.0 will be perfect to travel in the mountainous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir. It will be built with a heating system, making travel during extreme cold temperatures easy and comfortable.
Faster and Easier Connectivity - This new route will reduce the traveling time by half. After the inauguration ceremony, the travel between Srinagar and Katra will be reduced to three hours, which currently is six to seven hours.
A Boon for Economy and Tourism - It is expected that this train service will improve traveling, providing a boost to accessibility to the region, which will directly increase tourism and the economy.
For commoners, the train service will commence from April 20, 2025 onwards, and the flag-off ceremony will be hosted on April 19. It is anticipated that during this ceremony, PM Modi will also visit the highest railway bridge of the world - Chenab Bridge in Udhampur.