Jammu, February 24 Just hours after announcing the extension of the Vande Bharat Express service from Srinagar to Jammu from March 1, the Railway Board put the decision on hold late Tuesday night.
"Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the notification regarding the extension of Vande Bharat from March 1 has been put on hold by the Railway Board pending further instructions," said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal.
He added that further information would be shared as and when received, and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.
Earlier in the evening, Northern Railways had announced that the Vande Bharat Express would be extended up to Jammu Tawi from Katra, enabling direct connectivity between the twin capital cities of J&K from March 1.
"It is notified for the information of all concerned that the Vande Bharat Express train will be extended up to Jammu Tawi from March 1 from Katra," Singhal had said.
The premium service was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 following the inauguration of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, providing all-weather rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
Officials said that the train, currently operating between Srinagar and Katra with an eight-car rake, was proposed to run between Jammu and Srinagar with upgraded 20-car coaches.