The Indian Railways has opened a new chapter in regional connectivity with the announcement of the timetable for three new trains between Jammu and Srinagar, including the much-awaited Vande Bharat Express.
The trains are designed to reduce travel time between the two cities drastically, with the Vande Bharat covering the journey in just 3 hours and 10 minutes. Two more mail/express trains are scheduled to complete the route in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Timetable Details For Vande Bharat Express
The Vande Bharat train will leave SVDK at 8:10 AM, reach Srinagar at 11:20 AM, return journey starting from Srinagar at 12:45 PM, and conclude at SVDK by 3:55 PM. The two mail/express trains will run daily with round-trip services.
For trouble-free operations through this harsh winter time in the Valley, Railways have upgraded six trains, of which one is the Vande Bharat and the rest fully air-conditioned.
Additionally, all existing six trains deployed in the valley, with one Vistadome coach shall continue in services.
For more connection on the railways across the region, the ministry has formed a new Jammu Rail Division. As part of that, on Monday, the prime minister would be laying its foundation stone-a feat that completes a milestone towards infrastructure development for this region.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Version Hits Speed Milestone
Parallel to these announcements, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also shared a video where the sleeper version of the Vande Bharat train is seen undertaking speed trials. This train touched an impressive top speed of 180 kmph in these tests. The Railways confirmed that the tests will go on till the end of the month and thereafter, this high-speed sleeper train will be put into operation for long-distance travel across the country.
While there is no word on the launch of direct Delhi-Srinagar train operations, the new services between Jammu and Srinagar mark a transformative step in connecting the region.
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