HISTORIC RAIL CONNECTIVITY: PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat Express connecting Jammu to Srinagar
Travel time slashed to just 3 hours.
STC NEWS DESK
JAMMU, JUNE 06 (STC): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off a Vande Bharat train service between Katra and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, making it the first train connection between the Kashmir valley and the Jammu region.
On the occasion, Modi also flagged off another train from Srinagar to Katra.
Modi performed the inauguration of the train in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, among others.
According to Northern Railway, the train has two travelling classes — Chair Car (CC) and Executive Class (EC) — with tickets costing Rs 715 and Rs 1,320, respectively.
So far, trains have been running between Banihal and Baramulla, north of Srinagar in the Kashmir valley, and between Jammu, Udhampur and Katra in the Jammu region.
Notably, the first passenger train will set off Katra and reach Srinagar Srinagar from 7 June.
The Kashmir version of the Vande Bharat Express trains is designed to handle the harsh winter conditions of the Himalayas. The Vande Bharat Express, being put to service on the Jammu-Srinagar route, is specifically engineered to withstand severe winter conditions in the Himalayan region.
