MoS Railways flags off rerouted Amritsar-Katra Vande Bharat

The new rerouted Vande Bharat would reduce journey distance by 84 km and save travel time by 40 minutes.

Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu inaugurated the rerouted Vande Bharat Express between Amritsar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. Now operating on a new route via Gurdaspur and Batala, the optimised route reduces total journey distance by about 84 km, saving 40 minutes off the previous schedule to improve efficiency for religious and leisure tourism. 

Parallel to the route optimisation, the Minister announced an INR 62 Crore redevelopment plan for Beas Junction under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The investment focuses on upgrading infrastructure and passenger amenities to meet projected capacity demands at this key transit hub.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said, “The rerouted Vande Bharat Express marks another significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Indian Railways.”