AMRITSAR, June 17 -- Minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Tuesday flagged off the Vande Bharat Express between Amritsar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra on a new route via Gurdaspur and Batala, reducing the journey distance by about 84 km and travel time by nearly 40 minutes. Bittu also announced the redevelopment of Beas Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at an estimated cost of Rs.62 crore to cater to future passenger growth and provide world-class facilities. Speaking on the occasion, Bittu said the rerouted Vande Bharat Express will connect the holy city of Amritsar with Vaishno Devi. "The service will provide faster, safer and more comfortable travel for pilgrims, tourists and local passengers. The new routing reduces the journey distance by approximately 84km and cuts travel time by around 40 minutes. Covering nearly 283 kilometres in about five hours, the train is equipped with modern AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car coaches, offering world-class amenities and enhanced travel comfort," the minister said. Flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10, 2025, the train's services were suspended in November last year owing to the construction of a railway bridge between Punjab and Jammu. It earlier ran via Jalandhar. On the Beas railway station redevelopment project, Bittu said that Beas currently handles around 106 trains daily. "The station's passenger footfall is currently around 6,166 per day and is projected to rise to nearly 19,500 per day in the coming years. The project will include construction of a new station building while preserving the heritage facade and architectural character," he said....