Hi-tech Vande Bharat Express to ply from October 5, now travel from Delhi to Katra in 8 hours

New Delhi: Come October 5 and you will be able to reach Katra from New Delhi in just eight hours. Yes, Vande Bharat Express makes it possible. It comes as a good news for pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi. 

The first commercial run of the high-speed Vande Bharat Express will be on October 5 while on October 3, Home Minister Amit Shah will flag it off from Delhi on its inaugural run.

The Vande Bharat Express will run on all days of the week except Tuesday. It will cut the travel time between Delhi and Katra to just 8 hours, as compared to 12-14 hours required earlier to cover the distance of 655 km.

The train will depart from the New Delhi Railway Station at 6 am and will reach Katra at 2 pm. It will commence its return journey on the same day from Katra at 3 pm and reach the national capital at 11 pm. 

Bookings have opened on the IRCTC website for the Vande Bharat Express. The dynamic pricing principle hasn't been applied on the train as of now. The minimum fare for travelling between New Delhi to Katra in the chair car is Rs 1,630 while the fare for the executive chair car is Rs 3,015.

There will be three stops - Ambala, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi - between the route. 

The Vande Bharat Express has been indigenously built. It has sturdy aluminium-clad nose cover, a special film on windows, extra space to store meals for passengers.

There are seats which can be adjusted to 180 degrees. So, if you are travelling with your family and friends, you can adjust your seats accordingly. Improved wash basins, automatic doors, WiFi and infotainment system is also provided. 

(With IANS inputs)