𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬

JAMMU, June 04: Residents of Jammu and Kashmir and rail enthusiasts nationwide will have to wait a bit longer before they can book tickets for the Vande Bharat Express, set to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6.

Railway authorities have confirmed that public reservations will not be available immediately after the inauguration. “We have yet to receive official instructions from central railway authorities regarding when bookings will open for general passengers,” said Jugal Kishore Sharma, Station Master at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station, in a statement to Rising Kashmir.

He added that no final decision has been made so far on the date for starting reservations.

Sources within the railways indicated that after the launch, a detailed evaluation of operations will take place, including checks on staff availability, driver allocation, onboard services, and the readiness of stations. The final timeline for ticketing will be determined jointly by CRIS (Central Railway Information System), IRCTC, and the newly established Jammu Railway Division.

“This process will take approximately two weeks before bookings are opened to the public,” said an official close to the matter.

Although the Vande Bharat Express is built for speeds of up to 160 km/h, it will operate at a controlled 100 km/h in Jammu and Kashmir due to terrain and safety concerns. Even so, the train will cut travel time between Katra and Srinagar to just three hours—marking a significant improvement in regional connectivity.

During the June 6 inauguration, Prime Minister Modi is expected to travel aboard the Vande Bharat train from Katra to Anji Khad, where he will inspect India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge. He will also virtually inaugurate a second Vande Bharat train positioned in Srinagar.