Railway Board puts Vande Bharat Jammu-Srinagar extension on hold: Official

Barely hours after announcing the extension of the Vande Bharat Express service from Srinagar to Jammu from March 1, the Railway Board on Tuesday night put the decision on hold.

“Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the notification programme of Vande Bharat’s extension from March 1 has been put on hold by the Railway Board till further advice,” Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said.

He added that further information would be shared as and when received, and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.

Earlier in the evening, Northern Railways had announced that the Vande Bharat Express would be extended up to Jammu Tawi from Katra, enabling direct connectivity between the twin capital cities of J&K from March 1.

“It is notified for the information of all concerned that train Vande Bharat Express will be extended up to Jammu Tawi from March 1 from Katra,” Singhal had said.

The premium service was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 following the inauguration of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, providing all-weather rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.

Officials said the train, currently operating between Srinagar and Katra with an eight-car rake, was proposed to run between Jammu and Srinagar with upgraded 20-car coaches.