A ‘Vande Bharat Express’ train, seen stationed at a yard, in New Delhi, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw shared a video of the Vande Bharat Express train for the upcoming Katra-Srinagar rail route, connecting Jammu to the Kashmir valley.

The 49-second video, shared on Mr. Vaishnaw’s X account, gives a glimpse of the features of the train which is specially designed to operate seamlessly in Jammu & Kashmir’s challenging winter conditions.

According to Railway officials, the train has several additional features as compared to the other 136 Vande Bharat Express trains currently running in different parts of the country so that it can meet the operational challenges and passengers’ amenities in extreme weather conditions of Jammu and Kashmir.

The train has advanced heating systems which prevent the freezing of water tanks and bio-toilet tanks, provide warm air for the vacuum system as well as laboratories and ensure the air-brake system functions optimally for smooth operations even in sub-zero temperatures.

Besides, climate-related features, it has all the other amenities that the existing Vande Bharat trains have like fully air-conditioned coaches, automatic plug doors, and mobile charging sockets.

With the commencement of the final safety inspection, 111 Km long Banihal-Katra Section in the newly constructed, Jammu division, rail commuters can expect a world-class travel experience on this route from later this year as Jammu station is being redeveloped to equip it with 8 platforms and modern amenities.

Mr. Vaishnaw has announced that a long-cherished train service between Jammu and Kashmir Valley will start very soon.

The long wait for train connectivity between Kashmir Valley and Jammu will be over.

The completion of the Banihal-Katra section has been an engineering marvel in which 97 kilometres of length is the tunnel and 7 kilometres of distance is covered by 4 main bridges.