Jammu, May 12 -- The Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express has reached a major milestone within its first week of operation, transporting nearly 40,000 passengers since its May 2 debut on the newlycompleted Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL). This surge in regional connectivity was highlighted by a record-breaking weekend that saw 11,000 travellers and a peak occupancy rate of 96%. Senior divisional commercial manager Uchit Singhal said on Monday that the railway anticipates reaching 100% occupancy as the peak tourist season approaches. Over its first nine days, the service maintained a robust average occupancy of 86.5%, underscoring the immediate demand for high-speed transit through the Himalayas. Bridging the 267-km gap between Jammu and Srinagar in just four hours and 50 minutes, the train significantly undercuts traditional road travel via the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44), which typically takes eight to 10 hours and is frequently disrupted by landslides. Beyond efficiency, the route has become a tourist draw in its own right; passengers traverse the Chenab Bridge-the world's highest railway structure-and the Anji Khad Bridge, an engineering feat that has garnered widespread praise from local commuters and visitors alike....