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Hours after announcing the extension of the Vande Bharat Express from Srinagar to Jammu on 1 March, the Railway Board, in a surprise move, took a U-turn and put the decision on hold without assigning any reasons.

 

The sudden decision to suspend the extension of the premium train has left passengers and stakeholders in suspense, awaiting clarity from railway authorities. The announcement of train service between Srinagar and Jammu was widely hailed as a historic move, even as direct train service between Kashmir and the rest of the country still remains a dream.

 

 

“Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the notification of Vande Bharat’s extension from 1st March has been put on hold by the Railway Board until further advice,” Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said in a late-night communication on Tuesday, adding that “further information will be shared as and when received. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.”

 

Earlier in the evening, Northern Railway had announced that the Vande Bharat Express would be extended up to Jammu Tawi from Katra, enabling direct rail connectivity between the twin capital cities of J&K on Tuesday. For seamless connectivity and making the train service more accessible, the Railways also announced increasing the number of coaches of the Vande Bharat train to 20 from the existing eight coaches between Katra and Srinagar.

 

 

Needless to say that announcement of train service between Srinagar and Jammu was widely hailed as a historic move, even as direct train service between Kashmir andthe rest of the country still remains a dream. Regular rail services only reach upto Katra, and passengers coming from or going to Srinagar have to undergo transshipment at the station.

 

At present, the Vande Bharat Express operates between Srinagar and Katra with an eight-coach rake. Officials had also announced that the extended service between Jammu and Srinagar would run with an upgraded 20-coach rake to carry more passengers.Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat train service was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June last year. The historic train service was a step towards connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country through rail.