Vande Bharat Express between Delhi-Katra flagged off; to cover distance in 8 hrs

Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated Vande Bharat Express, which is popularly known as Train 18. Vande Bharat Express will begins its commercial run between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra on October 5 (Saturday) onwards. The booking of tickets of Vande Bharat Express is now open on the IRCTC website.

Shah also said that "Railways should document its relationship with Mahatma Gandhi as it forms a significant episode in the freedom struggle."

This is the second Vande Bharat Express, the first runs between Delhi and Varanasi.

Along with Amit Shah, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Ministers Dr Jitendra Singh and Dr Harsh Vardhan also flagged-off the Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.

"I'm proud that this 'Made in India' train is being flagged-off from here today. The railways is working towards achieving its targets keeping in mind principles of speed, scale & service," ANI quoted  Amit Shah at the flag-off ceremony of Vande Bharat Express as saying.

"Railways will connect the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari before 15th August 2022," said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

Train number 22439 New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express will depart from the New Delhi railway station at 6 am to reach Katra at 2 pm. En route, the train will halt at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi for two minutes each.

The Delhi-Katra route was chosen by the Railway Board in a bid to capitalise on the high traffic volume owing to the Vaishno Devi temple pilgrimage.

The high-speed train, which currently offers only chair car service, will bring down the travel time between Delhi and Katra, the last station on the way to the Vaishno Devi temple, to eight hours from the present 12 hours.

The minimum fare for travelling between New Delhi (NDLS) to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) will be Rs 1,630 and the maximum will be Rs 3,015. The train will run on all days of the week except on Tuesdays.

VIDEO: Home Minister Amit to flag off Delhi-Katra 'Vande Bharat Express' today

ALSO READ: Vande Bharat Express Bookings open: All details here

ALSO READ: Vande Bharat Express will reduce Delhi-Katra travel time to just 8 hours