Devotees planning to visit the Vaishno Devi shrine from Delhi will soon have an added commute option on the route. Delhi to Katra train route will soon see the return of Vande Bharat train services. Here’s everything you need to know about this. By Kumar Shree
The Vaishno Devi Shrine recently raised the limit for daily travellers to 7,000. Keeping that in mind, and the fact that Navratri is just around the corner, the Indian Railways has decided to start Vande Bharat train services from Delhi to Katra.
View this post on Instagram
Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed about this latest development through his tweet. He wrote, “Discussed with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. Vande Bharat Express train from Delhi to Katra Vaishno Devi to resume soon. This should be a reassuring piece of information for pilgrims from across the country planning a visit to the Holy shrine during Navratri festival.”
All train services in the country were halted after the first lockdown was set in motion in India on March 25. These trains are now gradually returning to the tracks.
When the shrine reopened for the first time in August, it put a cap on the number of outside visitors (those coming in from outside of Jammu & Kashmir) to a maximum of 500. It seems like the numbers will change soon as the CEO of the Shrine Board has been asked to decide on the new limit.
Other than that, the CEO will also decide whether or not to resume the palanquin and pony services that stand suspended as of now.
View this post on Instagram
The general rules for devotees require everyone to register themselves on the yatra portal before reaching Katra, the base town from where the pilgrimage trekking begins.
Every pilgrim must undergo temperature checks at the trek entry point, and present a valid COVID-19 negative test certificate. Having the face mask on, and the Aarogya Setu app on the phone is also mandatory. Any form of gatherings will not be allowed at the shrine.
Related: You Can Now Do Live Darshan Of Vaishno Devi Temple On Your Phones
