Vande Bharat Jammu-Srinagar extension put on hold ahead of March 1

The Vande Bharat Jammu-Srinagar extension has been put on hold by the Railway Board, only hours after the planned March 1 rollout was announced for the Srinagar–Jammu route, as reported by ET Infra. The postponement was attributed to unavoidable circumstances.

Railway Board puts extension on hold

Late Tuesday, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said the extension notification had been stopped for now. “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,” he said. Meanwhile, he added that more details would be shared as and when they are received, and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.

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Vande Bharat Express to Jammu Tawi from Katra

Earlier in the evening, Northern Railways said the Vande Bharat Express would be extended up to Jammu Tawi from Katra from March 1, a move meant to enable direct connectivity between the twin capital cities of Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time, in that earlier announcement, Singhal had said, “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,”

USBRL project and coach plans

In addition, the premium service was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 after the inauguration of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, as outlined by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

The train currently runs between Srinagar and Katra with an eight-car rake, and officials said it was proposed to operate between Jammu and Srinagar with upgraded 20-car coaches. Separately, International Railway Journal also described the June 6 inauguration and the flag-off event for Vande Bharat services on the USBRL.

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