Great news for the devotees.
In great news for worshippers, you can soon go to Vaishno Devi taking the luxurious and fast Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi. The government has decided to run Train-18, popularly known as Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi station to Katra soon.
The trial run is about to commence and an official notification confirming the development has been released. Once operational, this will cut down the journey time from Delhi to Katra by four hours. Currently, it takes around 12-hours to go from Delhi to Katra and once Vande Bharat express starts, it will take eight hours only.
Katra is the last station in the way to Vaishno Devi temple. There are multiple ways to cover the rest of the eighteen kilometers journey from Katra Railway station to Vaishno Devi temple. The plan proposes thee stations in the route, Ambala, Ludhiana, and Jammu Tawi are the stations were Vande Bharat express will stop en route Vaishno Devi. Brand new Train 18 which currently runs between Delhi and Varanasi is India's fastest train.
It has already been credited for impeccable on-time arrival, great speed and highest average speed in the country.
1. Vande Bharat express expected timings
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The Rail Ministry has planned to start the train from New Delhi at 6AM. It will reach Ambala at 8.10 am and then go to Ludhiana where it will reach at 9.22 AM. The time proposed for reaching Jammu Tawi is 12.40 PM and the train is expected to reach Katra sharp 2 PM.
The stoppage in all stations will be for two minutes.
While returning, Train 18 will depart from Katra at 3PM, reach Jammu Tawi at 4.18 PM. It is expected to reach its final destinate New Delhi at sharp 11 PM. The trial run will try to meet these tight deadlines to ensure that Vande Bharat keeps up its impeccable record.
2. Here's the official confirmation
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3. Why Train 18 is special
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Train 18 is a big win for the government's push for Make in India. It is an 100% 'Make in India' project implemented at ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai. Already Vande Bharat has gained massive popularity in the Delhi-Varanasi route and it is expected to grow as more and more cities get to experience this engineering marvel.
