Srinagar-Jammu Vande Bharat launch put on hold just days before March 1 rollout, Railway board cites ‘Unavoidable Circumstances’

The much-awaited Srinagar Jammu Vande Bharat Express launch scheduled for March 1 has been put on hold, leaving commuters disappointed as Railway Board cites unavoidable circumstances for the delay.

A day after authorities announced its March launch for Union Territory's twin capitals - Srinagar and Jammu, the route extension for India's semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday. Officials said that train services from Srinagar to Jammu will now "start from a future date to be notified" due to "unavoidable circumstances."

Delays on faster travel from Kashmir to Jammu

Via a notification issued on February 28, officials had announced that regular services for the Vande Bharat Express from Srinagar to Jammu will commence from March 1. As noted by officials, train services will now run direct to Jammu Tawi, allowing quicker connectivity between twin capitals instead of reaching Jammu via road travel which takes over hours.

The semi-high speed train will operate with 20 coaches instead of the currently-run eight on the Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat route.

Official launch has been stopped by Railway Board

But late on Tuesday night, Indian Railway officials received orders from the Railway Board to stall services "until further orders." "Issuance of the programme notification for commencement of services has been suspended for now. More info will be provided," a Northern Railway official told to the media person.

News came only hours after services were initially announced by Northern Railways.

On track to completion since 2019

The rail connectivity to Kashmir Valley is one of Indian Railways' prized achievements, completing the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla rail link in early 2025. Construction began in 2000 but the project finished some of the highest railway tracks in India. Built along the 369-kilometre route with geopolitical challenges and rough terrain, trains started running on two new lines: Katra-Baramulla and Qazigund-Udhampur.

Union PM Modi launched India's first Vande Bharat Express train connecting Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra on June 15, 2025.