Indian Railways is set to launch the third Vande Bharat train between Jammu and Srinagar. On popular demand, the Ministry of Railways has approved a halt at Udhampur. On June 6, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. On April 30 this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the 20-coach Jammu Tawi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, marking direct connectivity between the two capital cities. It has been a long-standing demand of the people of the valley to extend the train services beyond Katra. Such is the rush that the trains have been running at full occupancy since their launch, prompting authorities to increase the number of coaches from 16 to 20 in each train. The train covers the 269-km distance between Jammu Tawi and Srinagar in around 4 hours and 45 minutes. An engineering marvel, the Jammu-Srinagar rail line features 38 tunnels spanning 119 km, including the country’s longest transportation tunnel, Tunnel T-49, measuring 12.75 km. It also includes 927 bridges covering a combined length of 13 km. Among these is the iconic Chenab Bridge, an engineering marvel standing 359 meters above the riverbed—about 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower—making it the world’s highest arch railway bridge. The bridge, made of steel and concrete, is designed to withstand wind speeds of 260 km/h and the highest-intensity earthquakes. Crucially, the train is engineered to operate in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius, making it a dependable all-weather artery when snowfall and landslides render the national highway impassable. Notable milestones in the Kashmir Rail Project include the completion of the Baramulla-Qazigund section in 2009, Qazigund-Banihal in 2013, Udhampur-Katra in 2014, and the Banihal-Sangaldan service, inaugurated by PM Modi in February 2024. Since its launch, the train has become a lifeline for Kashmir given the vulnerability of our national highways. There have been demands for increasing the frequency and number of trains. The Centre has accepted the demand of introducing a third Vande Bharat. Yet the moot question remains: when will Kashmir be directly connected to Delhi, Punjab, and other states? The time has come to extend the Kashmir train beyond Jammu. Kashmir is a tourism-intensive state. Direct trains from different parts of the country will not only increase the footfalls but also help in job creation and economic development. People of the valley are highly indebted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for launching the Kashmir train in record time. But the project needs to be expanded. Train to Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra. West Bengal and South India will boost our economy. Our farmers and artisans will have direct market access. We can sell our shawls and apples directly in different states. It will save our transportation costs and improve margins. The Centre should consider extending the Kashmir train beyond Jammu.
Vande Bharat 3.0
