Jammu Tawi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express launched today on 30 April 2026, to begin regular services from 2 May 2026. Here's the details
The Jammu Tawi - Srinagar Vande Bharat Express train was launched today on 30 April 2026. The earlier Vande Bharat trains that previously operated between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, are now extended up to Jammu, thus directly linking Srinagar with Jammu for the very first time through passenger trains.
The regular services of Srinagar-Jammu Vande Bharat will commence from 2nd May 2026, benefiting pilgrims, tourists, and other travellers through a single, uninterrupted high-speed and a world-class comfortable railway service. This new Jammu Tawi - Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will have 20 coaches, unlike the earlier train till Katra that only 8 coaches.
These Vande Bharat Express trains are specially designed to operate in very cold temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius with heated windshields, advanced heating systems, and all-weather components, which provide a reliable, all-weather link between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India, even during the winter season when the travel by road may become impossible or dangerous in these regions.
Jammu Tawi - Srinagar Vande Bharat Express train details
The Union Minister for Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, flagged off the extended Srinagar – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express service up to Jammu Tawi Railway Station, today on 30 April 2026, which directly links Jammu and Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley by passenger train for the very first time.
This new Jammu Tawi - Srinagar Vande Bharat Express trains (Train No.s 26401/26402 and 26403/26404) will run with 20 coaches.
A single seamless rail corridor now connects two of the region's most iconic destinations, providing not only faster journeys between them, but also an all-weather comfortable world-class train travel across this breathtaking landscape.
The flag-off today on 30 April 2026 marks the inaugural run, the extended Jammu Tawi – Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will enter regular service from 2nd May 2026. Two pairs of Vande Bharat Express train services will operate across the corridor, covering a distance of around 266 km.
The first service (Train No. 26401) departs Jammu Tawi at 6:20 AM, halts at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Reasi, and Banihal, arriving at Srinagar at 11:10 AM, a journey of four hours and fifty minutes. Its return (Train No. 26402) leaves Srinagar at 2:00 PM and reaches Jammu Tawi by 6:50 PM. This pair runs six days a week, except Tuesday.
The second service (Train No. 26404) departs Srinagar at 8:00 AM, halts at Banihal and Katra, and arrives at Jammu Tawi by 12:40 PM. Its return (Train No. 26403) departs Jammu Tawi at 1:20 PM and reaches Srinagar by 6:00 PM. This pair runs six days a week, except Wednesday.
View Stops at Stations and Timings
Together, the two pairs of Vande Bharat Express trains ensure that passengers have a morning and an afternoon Vande Bharat option from both ends of the corridor on most days of the week, giving travellers meaningful flexibility in planning their journeys.
Since it was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6th June 2025, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra – Srinagar Vande Bharat Express ran with only 8 coaches.
As this train consistently ran at full capacity since its launch, reflecting its popularity and demand by the passengers, Indian Railways decided to increase the rakes to 20 coaches, more than doubling the train's seating capacity to help easing the pressure on reservations and waitlists significantly, especially during peak pilgrimage and tourist seasons in the region.
A benefit for tourists
Until now, pilgrims and passengers arriving at Jammu Tawi Railway Station, which is one of the busiest rail-heads in northern India, connecting trains from Delhi, Mumbai, and beyond, had to change trains or arrange separate road transport to reach Katra.
Now, with the extension of the train till Srinagar as the Jammu Tawi - Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, tourists will now be able to board the Vande Bharat Express directly at Jammu Tawi and reach the Vaishno Devi base camp at Katra, and travel onwards all the way to Srinagar.
For the growing number of pilgrims who combine the Vaishno Devi darshan at Katra with the Amarnath Yatra, whose base camps at Pahalgam and Baltal are accessed from Srinagar, the entire pilgrim circuit of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is now achievable on a single, unbroken rail journey, without needing a change of train.
For the Indian and international tourists, this extension opens an entirely new way to experience Jammu & Kashmir. A visitor flying into Jammu can now board the Vande Bharat at Jammu Tawi and ride through some of the most breathtaking terrain on the subcontinent, past the Shivalik foothills, across the engineering marvel of the Chenab and Anji bridges, through tunnels carved into the Himalayan rock and arrive in Srinagar, ready to experience the Dal Lake, the Mughal Gardens, and the legendary hospitality of the Valley. No highway delays, no mountain road anxiety, no weather-dependent road closures.
These trains pass through the spectacular Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, which rises 331 metres above the Anji River valley and anchored by 96 high-tensile cables.
These trains will also pass through the breathtaking Chenab Rail Bridge, which is currently the world's highest railway arch bridge at 359 metres above the riverbed, taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Both these colossal bridges are the backbone of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the 272-kilometre project through the Himalayas that now makes this extended Vande Bharat service possible.
This 272 kilometres long USBRL railway section the Jammu and Kashmir state runs through the rugged Himalayas, with 36 tunnels through the mountains, with a total span of all tunnels being 119 kilometres, and with 943 bridges that cross the spectacular valleys, ridges and mountain passes.
Crucially, this train matters most in the winter season, when heavy snowfall blocks the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, sometimes for days at a stretch, when the railway corridor becomes a lifeline.
These Vande Bharat Express trains are designed to operate in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius with heated windshields, advanced heating systems, and all-weather components, will provide a reliable, weather-proof link between the Valley and the rest of India at times when road travel becomes impossible or dangerous.
Jammu and Kashmir, often described as the “Paradise on Earth,” is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, and serene lakes. Jammu and Kashmir is also known for its premium dry fruits, exquisite Pashmina shawls, apples and traditional handwoven carpets (kaleen), which are in demand across India.
The extension of the Srinagar–Katra Vande Bharat Express to Jammu Tawi marks another step by Indian Railways towards integrating the region more closely with its national rail network, thus boosting tourism and facilitating trade and overall connectivity.
With a convenient interchange at Jammu, travellers from across India, along with international tourists, can now seamlessly access the Kashmir Valley, as Jammu is well connected with all major centres of India in every direction.
Also See : List of all Vande Bharat Express train services of Indian Railways and their features
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to Flag Off Extended Srinagar-Jammu Vande Bharat Tomorrow - Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India, on PIB. Posted On: 29 APR 2026 5:09PM by PIB Delhi.
- Jammu Directly Linked with Kashmir via Passenger Train for the First Time - Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India, on PIB. Posted On: 30 APR 2026 6:50PM by PIB Delhi.
- Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw Flags Off Extended 20 coach Jammu–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express - Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India, on PIB. Posted On: 30 APR 2026 3:59PM by PIB Jammu and Kashmir.