Javid Ahmed wasn’t expecting tourists at Srinagar station on a Saturday. “We haven’t had more than a handful of tourists for the past few weeks,” said the 29-year-old taxi driver. “Business has been lean since Pahalgam.” Passengers on board the Vande Bharat Express in Srinagar on Saturday. (Saurya Sengupta/HT Photo)

But on a quiet Eid afternoon, a gleaming hulk of metal and glass rumbled into the deserted Srinagar station with over 500 passengers, catching shopkeepers, hawkers and taxi drivers — accustomed to mostly seeing train riders from within the valley — by surprise. This was a train from Jammu.

The Vande Bharat Express from Katra to Srinagar made its inaugural journeys on Saturday, bridging Kashmir with India’s rail network — the culmination of a decades-long project that overcame steep engineering challenges and evolving political considerations.

Passengers emphasised that the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat, which takes less than three hours for a 190km trip, would reorient travel between Kashmir and the rest of India, making what was either an expensive or arduous journey significantly cheaper, faster and more reliable.

“The highway routes between the two regions are at the mercy of weather and topography,” said Kishore Uppal, who works in Baramulla and lives in Jammu. “The narrow roads mean you could be stuck for hours even if a bus breaks down on a bend,” said the 66-year-old, who bought a ticket as soon as bookings opened.

“Travelling between home and work has always been a challenge for me. Flights are too expensive, especially during peak seasons. This train changes that completely,” said Uppal.

But the two Chennai-made train sets, which run between Katra and Srinagar twice daily, may offer more than logistical relief. For residents of Jammu & Kashmir, the train may serve as salve for a Union territory bruised after the April 22 attack, which devastated the region’s tourism recovery.

“We had no idea the trains would be packed. When we heard that the first train was full, we flocked to the station,” said Ahmed.

The train’s significance was evident even before it pulled out of Katra station in Jammu. Stationed on Platform 1 in orange and black and draped with garlands, the train drew dozens of people who jostled for photos at the train’s nose while families pushed past each other. Many came to the platform just to film the train, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off on Friday.

The first train departed for Srinagar at 8.10am, the second at 2.55pm. Both were booked to capacity, with 507 passengers each — families, traders, students and even local filmmakers. Each train made just one stop before Srinagar: at Banihal, where Jammu meets Kashmir.

On its journey, the train cuts through stunning terrain, slicing through steep mountains, treacherous gorges and lush valleys. The first half passes through numerous tunnels, but passengers spring to the windows the moment the train emerges, phones ready.

It also zips over the 1,315m-long Chenab bridge, sandwiched between Himalayan rockfaces and overlooking the imposing river more than 350m below.

Many said they hurriedly rearranged their Eid schedules just to board the train. “We actually had different plans for Eid,” said Aarif Hussain, who lives in Srinagar and was travelling with his family. “But when we heard the trains were launching on Saturday, we booked a round-trip. We took the Vande Bharat from Srinagar to Katra, then caught the next one for the return journey,” said the 25-year-old UPSC aspirant.

“The train really is a game-changer for us. Road travel was inconvenient because of the unpredictability and discomfort. People get caught in landslides for days. And a one-way ticket from Srinagar to Jammu can cost upwards of ₹25,000 at peak times,” he said.

Kashmir has waited years for this train, said Hussain.

Work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) spanned over three decades, since the project was commissioned in 1994-95. Modi’s inauguration of the 63km link between Katra and Sangaldan in Jammu was the final piece, giving Kashmir its first rail connection with the rest of the country.

Previously, people wanting to traverse the two regions could only take local trains between Sangaldan town in Jammu and Baramulla in Kashmir.

Azhar Hussain, who lives in Srinagar, said the link would simplify commerce between the regions. The flow of apples from Kashmir to Jammu would be vastly streamlined, said the 32-year-old, who works in agro-chemicals.

“When freight services begin on this link, they will hugely ease industry headaches. Right now, apples can take three or four days to reach Jammu. Add the significant temperature difference between the regions, which stresses the fruit further,” he said.

“Now, theoretically, a crate of apples should reach Delhi from Srinagar in 12 hours,” he said. The Vande Bharat Express from Delhi to Katra takes around eight hours.

Jaspreet Sabharwal, a homemaker from Jammu travelling with her husband Vikram, a doctor who works in Srinagar, said she had waited 25 years for this line.

“I’ve been hoping for this connection since I got married. My husband’s journeys will become much easier, and so will mine,” she said.

A Jammu & Kashmir Police officer travelling with his family said the line will help foster business and friendships with other states.

“This line is culturally just as important as it is strategically or for trade,” he said, declining to be named.

“Look, the first step to integration is connectivity. There’s little point discussing improved relations between Kashmir and other parts of India if travel is so difficult. This train and this line will, if nothing else, mean people come to Kashmir more freely, more often,” said Aarif Hussain.

“And that’s an important first step.”

The service will expand over the coming months depending on demand, said railway officials.

“The infrastructure to expand the service is in place. Customer demand will dictate how soon we roll out those options,” said a Jammu division railway official who requested anonymity.

But in an otherwise jubilant Vande Bharat, nine-year-old Viraj Thakur insisted he had a valid complaint.

“There are so many tunnels. How do I look outside?”