High Passenger Demand: Kashmir Vande Bharat Trains Clock Over 100% Occupancy

The four Vande Bharat trains catering to the Kashmir valley since June have witnessed monthly occupancy of more than 100 percent, as per railway ministry data issued on Monday.

A ministry official shared the data with News18, stating that the train services have “exceptionally high occupancy" with all full bookings for almost all of August. Occupancy of more than 100 percent indicates demand beyond capacity, including waitlisted passengers as well.

Two pairs of Vande Bharat express trains are operational between Shri Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) and Srinagar (SINA), offering four services.

For the June to August period, the Shri Vaishno Devi Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat express (26401) maintained near-full capacity with 100 percent occupancy in June peaking at 102 percent in July, and 98 percent in August.

The return journey of the train – Srinagar-Shri Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat express (26402) – remained steady at 101 percent occupancy across all three months. The second train – 26403 and 26404 – is also witnessing high demand.

The service from Katra ran above capacity in June (101%) and July (100%), before easing slightly to 97% in August. The one from Srinagar saw a lower start at 94 percent occupancy in June but quickly surged to 100 percent in July and stayed as high at 98 percent in August.

This is the first time that Srinagar is connected with the main Indian Railways network after the Ajni and Chenab bridges were inaugurated in June.

TRAIN TO KASHMIR: TIMINGS AND FARE

Train 26401 completes the journey in two hours and 58 minutes, with chair car fares at Rs 715 and executive class at Rs 1,320. It departs from Katra at 8.10 am and arrives in Srinagar at 11.08 am, with a two-minute stop at Banihal at 9.56 am.

On its return journey, train 26402 departs from Srinagar at 2 pm and arrives in Katra at 4.58 pm, with a two-minute stop at Banihal at 3.08 pm. Chair car fares are Rs 880 and executive class Rs 1,515.

These trains (26401/26402) operate six days a week, excluding Tuesdays.

Train 26403 departs from Katra at 2.55 pm and arrives in Srinagar at 5.53 pm, completing the journey in two hours and 58 minutes. The fare on this train is Rs 660 for a chair car seat and Rs 1,270 for executive class. The price difference is due to catering charges.

From Srinagar, train 26404 departs at 8 am and arrives in Katra at 10.58 am, with a two-minute stop at Banihal at 9 am. Fares are Rs 715 for chair car and Rs 1,320 for executive class. Trains 26403/04 operate six days a week, excluding Wednesdays.