New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off Vande Bharat Express which will ply between Delhi and Katra for its inaugural run at 9 am on Thursday at New Delhi Railway Station.


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In a tweet, the Office of the Home Minister of India informed, "Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah will Flag off ‘Vande Bharat Express’ from New Delhi to Maa Vaishno Devi, Katra (J&K). Date: 03 Oct 2019 Time: 9am Venue: New Delhi Railway Station."



The first commercial run of the high-speed Vande Bharat Express will be on October 5, which will cut the travel time between Delhi and Katra, Vaishno Devi, to just eight hours, as compared to 12-14 hours required earlier to cover the distance of 655 km.


It comes as good news for pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi. The Vande Bharat Express will run on all days of the week except Tuesday. 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 opened on the IRCTC website for the Vande Bharat Express on Sunday, where minimum fare for travelling between New Delhi to Katra in the chair car has been pegged Rs 1,630 while the fare for the executive chair car is Rs 2,965. 


For people travelling from Katra to Delhi, the minimum fare for chair car has been set at Rs 1,570, while for executive chair car, it has been pegged at Rs 2,965 also.


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.


The seats 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 have also been provided. 


The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Delhi-Varanasi route.