From next month onwards, traveling from Delhi to Vaishno Devi is going to become easier, faster and affordable. After the grand success of Indian Railways’ first semi high-speed self-propelled engineless- Train 18, which connects Delhi to Varanasi, the second Vande Bharat Express will now be introduced on the Delhi-Katra route.
If sources are to be believed, the route has been identified by the Railway Board keeping in mind the high traffic volume, due to the temple of Vaishno Devi. The train is expected to reduce the travel time between the national capital and Katra, the last station on the way to Vaishno Devi temple, to only eight hours from the current 12 hours. The train is likely to commence operations from next month onwards.
Timings, stations, and schedule of the Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express Train:
Monday, Thursday and Saturday are the days the second Vande Bharat Express is proposed to run in a week. Based on the demand for this train the number of days can be increased. The new Vande Bharat Express will leave from Delhi at 6:00 AM and reach Katra at 2:00 PM. On its return journey, the train will leave Katra the same day at 3:00 PM and reach the national capital at 11:00 PM. The maximum speed of the train will be 130 kmph and will have halts of two minutes each at Ambala, Ludhiana, and Jammu Tawi stations, before arriving at Katra.
Trial runs of this ‘Make in India’ train have been conducted on the Delhi-Katra route, which was chosen by the Railway Board among other routes including Delhi-Chandigarh and Delhi-Amritsar.
How does the New Vande Bharat Train differ from the old one?
- As compared to the previous train that was criticised for having less pantry space, the New Vande Bharat train has enough space to store meals for passengers.
- To avoid damage due to cattle run-over, the train has been equipped with a sturdy aluminum-clad nose cover.
- A special anti-spall film on windows has been provided to guard against stone-pelting
Additionally, the train has also a list of modern features such as adjustable seats, improved washbasins, automatic doors, WiFi and infotainment system among others. At present, the train is undergoing additional trials.