Jammu: The Indian Railways will soon operate the Vande Bharat Express train from Katra in J&K to Amritsar in Punjab via Gurdaspur and Batala instead of Jalandhar, officials said.
The premium train will depart from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 6:40 am and reach Amritsar at 11:40 am the same day. On the return journey, it will leave Amritsar at 4:40 pm and arrive at Katra at 9:45 pm the same evening, officials in the Jammu Division of Northern Railway said.
The train will halt at Jammu, Pathankot Cantt, Gurdaspur and Batala in both directions, they said.
According to railway officials, the route change aims to provide faster and more direct connectivity between Amritsar and Jammu while reducing the longer travel distance via Jalandhar.
The revised alignment will also extend Vande Bharat services to Batala and Gurdaspur, benefiting pilgrims and residents in the border areas, they said.
Senior divisional commercial manager, Uchit Singhal, said the decision was also taken to improve convenience for premium-class passengers and enhance travel experience.
The modification comes in response to high passenger demand and is expected to reduce travel time while providing safe, modern and world-class transport facilities, the officials said.
In a related development, trains will now halt at Pathankot Cantonment instead of Pathankot City.
Passengers are advised to check the updated schedules and stoppages on the official website of the Indian Railways, the National Train Enquiry System (NTES), or by dialling 139 before travel, they added.
