New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch the Vande Bharat train service between Katra and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir on June 6. The train was originally planned to start on April 19, but it was delayed due to bad weather.
Train to help Amarnath Yatra pilgrims
Officials said all work for the train is now complete. The train will help Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, especially when the Jammu-Srinagar highway is blocked due to landslides or bad weather. The Amarnath Yatra will start on July 3 and end on August 9. More trains may be added if the road is blocked.
PM Modi will start the train from Katra and also join virtually from Baramulla. He will give a speech at Katra Stadium and visit two big railway bridges in Reasi district before the train launch.
Work on full train route still in progress
The train will first run between Katra and Baramulla. By August or September, it may start running from Jammu to Baramulla once platform work at Jammu Station is finished. For now, there is no direct train to Kashmir from Delhi or other cities. Passengers will have to change trains at Katra, and later at Jammu.
After a terror attack in Pahalgam, a fresh security check was done. More security staff and better safety systems have been added.
The full railway project from Udhampur to Baramulla is 272 km long. Out of this, 209 km has been in use since 2009. The last 17-km part between Reasi and Katra was completed three months ago. A trial run was done on January 4 on the Katra-Banihal section.
