Vande Bharat to link Jammu & Srinagar from April 30

Aatif Qayoom
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25 Apr 2026

20-coach train to halt at Katra, Bijbehara, cover 266.66 km during journey

Srinagar, Apr 24: Northern Railway will flag off the inaugural run of the extended Vande Bharat Express up to Jammu Tawi on April 30, 2026, marking a major development in rail connectivity in J&K.

As per an official order issued from Baroda House, New Delhi, the extension of train numbers 26401 and 26402 between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar will operate as a special inaugural service. The inaugural train will run as train number 02601 from Jammu Tawi.

The train will depart Jammu Tawi at 10:30 am and reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 11:54 am. It will halt there for five minutes to allow boarding and deboarding. The service will then proceed towards Kashmir and stop at Bijbehara at 2:25 pm for an operational halt. The train will finally arrive in Srinagar at 3:05 pm.

Railway officials said the train will run with a 20-coach Vande Bharat rake and cover a total distance of 266.66 kilometres during the inaugural journey. The service has been classified as a Vande Bharat inaugural special.

They said the inaugural run will operate as a special train from Jammu Tawi, and detailed instructions have been issued to all concerned divisions, including Delhi, Firozpur, Ambala, Moradabad and Lucknow, to ensure smooth operations.

According to railway officials, the regular schedule of the train will be notified separately after the inaugural run.

The extension is expected to improve travel convenience, reduce journey time, and strengthen rail connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir, benefiting passengers, tourism, and regional movement.