Tickets sold out, travellers marvel at scenic landscape as 1st Vande Bharat reaches Valley

Two jam-packed trains left Katra for Srinagar on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the direct rail link connecting the Valley with the rest of the country.

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Excited passengers were seen boarding the two trains — Vande Bharat Express 26401 and 26403 — from Katra Railway Station. Many tourists from different corners of the country who had come to pay obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine travelled onwards to the Valley by train.

Railway officials said that tickets for both trains were fully booked following the inauguration by the Prime Minister on Friday.

Interestingly, both trains to Kashmir are fully booked until next week. According to the IRCTC mobile app, in train number 26401, both chair car and executive class are booked until June 12, while in train 26403, all seats are booked until June 10.

The two trains begin their journey at 8.10 am and 2.55 pm and reach Srinagar at 11.08 am and 5.53 pm respectively. On the return journey, the corresponding trains from Srinagar to Katra depart at 8.00 am and 2.00 pm, arriving at their destination at 10.58 am and 4.58 pm. Tickets for trains coming from Srinagar to Katra were still available as of Saturday evening.

Jammu Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar told The Tribune that the train service to the Valley was running smoothly and passengers were providing positive feedback. “Passengers are very excited to go to Kashmir in train as it is a journey where they will have scenic views. People going to Valley have appreciated the direct rail link,” said Kumar. The trains traverse breath-taking mountains in Reasi and Ramban of the Jammu division before entering the Kashmir valley. Both trains reached the Valley on time on the first day of official operation on Saturday.

Sumeet Dubey, a resident of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh who had come to Vaishno Devi with his family of four, said that he had no plans to go to the Valley until he witnessed the grand inauguration of the rail link. “I planned to visit Kashmir in train as it is a different experience. Going to Kashmir that is a heaven on earth in a train will be a lifetime memory for my family,” said Dubey.