Katra to Srinagar: an enchanting train journey

27/07/2025

We checked out the hotel at 7 am. They had arranged the drop at the railway station. The railway station was near to the hotel, hence it took hardly 6-7 minutes. 

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway Station at Katra, is a newly developed station. The station is made at two or three levels. The front area of the station looks liek a railway station in a foreign country. Spacious and aesthetically designed. 

Passengers boarding Vande Bharat Express to Srinagar had to undergo two levels of checking. First they check the baggage and then the confirmation of the seats in the train. After due process, we moved to platform no. 1 to board the train. All passengers were in great excitement as the Hon'ble Prime Minister inaugurated the first train to Srinagar in Kashmir Valley on 06 June 2025. 

There was extra security coverage for this train, and we could find J & K Police as well as RPF personnel who were well prepared for any possible eventualities. 

When the train arrived, we were extremely happy to board the train.  

We boarded the Katra to Srinagar Vandebharat Express. One of us got a window seat. The train started at 8 am sharp, and as the train started, people opened their mobile phones to record the scenery outside. 

As the train moved ahead we eagerly waited for the much-highlighted Chenab Rail Bridge. But before that the cable-suspended rail bridge, perhaps the highest in Asia caught the attention of passengers. When we reached the bridges, every passenger was quite eager and excited to see the rail bridges. The train passed through the bridges quickly. The longest railway tunnel is also in this rail route. Much of the time the train moved through tunnels. The valleys were like a pop-up, appearing and disappearing in between the mountain ranges. 

The train pantry staff served as breakfast. We could find some stations in between, but all of them were empty. The view of the valleys and the mountains outside provided a glimpse of the mighty mountain ranges across the Himalayas. 

As the train passed Banihal to Qazigund, the last tunnel connecting the valley came in between. The first-timers' visit to Kashmir will really astonish them with the scenic beauty around.

The train reached Platform No. 3 of Srinagar at the right time, 11 am. We reached the parking area were the prepaid taxi charged us Rs 1000 to drop us at the hotel. 




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