Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will soon run on the world’s highest Chenab railway bridge; Specially designed for cold climate
The road journey from Jammu to Srinagar is approximately 244 km, which takes around 6 to 7 hours for travelers. The Vande Bharat Express train covers the journey in just three and a half hours, cutting the travel time by almost half.
Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat: The upcoming Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, which will run on one of the most awaited railway lines of the Indian Railways, will bring the regions of Jammu and Kashmir closer. The Ministry of Railways has allotted eight coaches for this train, which will run along the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL). The Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express marks the second Vande Bharat Express in Jammu and Kashmir.
The train will run on the 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link and will feature a number of record-breaking infrastructure projects on the route, including the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River and also the longest tunnel. Currently, there are no trains connecting Jammu and Srinagar due to the ongoing construction of the railway line connecting these two cities in the Union Territory.
Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express: Details
The road journey from Jammu to Srinagar is approximately 244 km, which takes around 6 to 7 hours for travelers. With Vande Bharat Express, the train covers the distance in just three and a half hours, cutting the travel time by almost half.
This will be the second Vande Bharat train in the Union Territory. The first Vande Bharat Express train in Jammu and Kashmir was the second ever launched in India. It is also India’s first vegetarian train, connecting Delhi to Vaishno Devi in eight hours and reducing travel time by 40 percent.
According to a media report, Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai has announced plans to introduce Vande Bharat trains equipped with special facilities that will integrate heating facilities in their compartments. There will be specialized pipes designed to prevent freezing and possible rupture of water pipes. This initiative is part of ICF’s strategy to design and manufacture different versions of the Vande Bharat trains.
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project is a crucial railway line being constructed by the Indian Railways to connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India. While the train already runs up to Udhampur, this is the last point in J&K to which a train from the rest of India can run. On the other hand, the Kashmir Valley has a functional Banihal-Baramulla railway line of 118 km.
Earlier in March, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced that the USBRL will be completed by December 2023 or January 2024, and a Vande Bharat Metro train will run between Jammu and Srinagar once the project is fully operational. “We aim to complete the Jammu-Srinagar connectivity till December or January,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
“Once the Kashmir Valley will be connected to the Indian railway network, the journey from Jammu to Srinagar will become faster and more comfortable for passengers. The journey from Jammu to Srinagar via the new rail link is expected to take 3.5 hours,” Vaishnaw said, adding that the Vande Metro service will run between the cities of Srinagar and Jammu, with the trains running on a specific frequency, reported PTI.
On March 26, Vaishnaw traveled with railway officials on the maiden run of a track-mounted trolley across the world’s highest arch bridge of the Chenab River and performed pooja before inspecting the iconic bridge with a height of 359 meters from the Chenab riverbed .