Jammu :- The Commissioner of Railway Safety has granted approval for launching train services to Kashmir, marking a significant milestone in connecting the region by rail. Railway Board Member (Operations) Hitendra Kumar is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on January 18 to finalize operational details for the Katra-Banihal rail section.Kumar, accompanied by senior officials from the Signal and Telecom department, will conduct a window inspection from Srinagar to Katra and submit a direct report to the Railway Minister.
Sources indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may inaugurate the train service between Katra and Kashmir anytime after this inspection.The inauguration is tentatively planned between January 27 and 31, with speculation that PM Modi might flag off the first train from Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station and possibly travel on it himself. However, no official announcement has been made yet, as the central government’s current focus remains on the Mahakumbh event, which has garnered global attention.
The Vande Bharat Express will be the flagship service on this route, covering the 200-kilometer distance between Katra and Srinagar in approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes. The train will operate six days a week, departing Katra at 8:10 AM and reaching Srinagar at 11:20 AM, with a return journey departing Srinagar at 12:45 PM and arriving in Katra at 3:55 PM.Regular mail express trains will also run daily, with two services in each direction.
The first morning service will depart Katra at 9:50 AM, while an afternoon service will leave at 4:00 PM. The route has successfully undergone speed trials at 75-80 kilometers per hour and includes engineering marvels like the Anji Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge.This new rail link represents the second major infrastructure gift to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the new year, significantly enhancing connectivity in the region.