A Vande Bharat Express is likely to operate between Jammu and Srinagar in the union territory of J&K by the middle of 2024.
The semi-high speed train already runs on Delhi-Mata Vaishno Devi, Katra route in the Jammu province of J&K.
The Vande Bharat train will be operated between Jammu and Srinagar after the work on the 272-km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) will be completed.
“A special type of Vande Bharat train has been designed for Jammu and Kashmir, which will be prepared keeping in mind the temperature here,” Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said last month.
“Jammu and Kashmir will be able to get the gift of Vande Bharat train by the middle of 2024,” Vaishnaw added.
According to Railway Minister Vaishnaw, the Vande Bharat trains will allow people to travel from Jammu to Srinagar and return that same evening.
The train will shorten the travel time between Srinagar and Jammu from five to six hours by road to just three to three-and-a-half hours.
Railway Minister Vaishnaw said that this will enable travellers to make a round trip between Jammu and Srinagar in the same day.
The new USBRL project connecting Srinagar and Baramulla to the rest of the country will offer a dependable and economical alternative to the Jammu-Srinagar highway which is often closed due to landslides.
Once the project is completed, the train operating on the rail link will aid the transportation of goods including handicrafts, apples, dry fruits, and pashmina shawls to other parts of the country.
It will be a faster and more cost-effective alternative for locals. The reduced costs of daily necessities travelling to the Valley from other areas in the country will also be a significant benefit.