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The Railway Board has assigned eight coaches for a Vande Bharat Express to operate between Jammu and Srinagar along the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the Hindu reported This move suggests that the Central government may soon announce the opening of Vande Bharat, connecting Kashmir to the rest of India.
The entire line has been electrified, and the remaining work on some tunnels is nearing completion, the report cited an official as saying. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had previously stated that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link would be operational by early 2024. Recently, Northern Railways conducted a successful trial run of an electric train from Banihal railway station to Khari railway station in Ramban district.
The Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat will reduce travel time between the two cities to 3.5 hours. Currently, it takes about 7-8 hours to travel by road on the 248 km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
Special features of Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat Train
The Srinagar will have several unique features, considering the temperature and topography of the region. These special Vande Bharat coaches will have heating facilities inside the compartments and for the water lines to prevent freezing, a top official of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) told ToI earlier. These trains will also have special pipes to prevent freezing and for braking. This development is part of the broader plans to design and manufacture various versions of the Vande Bharat trains.
The project, stretching over 272 km and costing over Rs 37,000 crore, aims to provide a reliable transportation system to the region. It is considered one of the most challenging works undertaken by Indian Railways since independence. The project involves the construction of 38 tunnels with a combined length of 119 km. Additionally, there will be a remarkable 927 bridges spanning a total length of 13 km. Among these bridges, the iconic Chenab Bridge stands out, with an overall length of 1315 m, an arch span of 467 m, and a towering height of 359 m above the river bed. It will be the highest railway bridge in the world. Another noteworthy feature of the route will be Indian Railways’ first cable-stayed bridge, situated on Anji Khad.
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