Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Katra to Srinagar Train: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Vande Bharat chair car for Kashmir on Saturday, April 19. The distance between Katra and Srinagar will be covered in three hours. This marks the last phase of the Katra Sangaldan section of the Udhampur-Srinagar Baramulla rail link project. Subsequently, the rail connectivity from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be realised. The travel distance from Katra to Srinagar is six to seven hours by road.
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The project spans 272 km from Katra to Sangaldan. The train will cross India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, as well as the world’s highest railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge. This bridge connects the railway track from Delhi to Kashmir through Katra.
Trains currently operate between Srinagar and Sangaldan stations. With the addition of the segment between Sangaldan and Katra, trains will now travel between these areas. Trials have been conducted in recent weeks for this segment.
TWO VANDE BHARAT TRAINS TO OPERATE BETWEEN KATRA AND SRINAGAR
The Executive Director of the Railway Board has confirmed that two Vande Bharat Express trains will operate on the route once the service begins. One train will start from Srinagar, while the other will run from Katra to Srinagar.
Earlier, on January 23, Indian Railways successfully conducted a trial run of the first Vande Bharat Express from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) station to Srinagar. This train has been specially designed to handle the cold weather conditions of the Kashmir Valley.
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VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS ROUTE
The new Vande Bharat Express will begin its journey from Katra Railway Station and go up to Srinagar, touching Reasi, Sangaldan, Banihal, Kanjigund, and Anantnag on the way. The route gives travellers a speedy and scenic ride across Jammu and Kashmir.
NO DIRECT TRAINS FROM DELHI YET
There are no direct trains to the Kashmir Valley from Delhi or other major towns at present. Passengers arriving from other parts of the country will be forced to change trains at Katra to reach Srinagar.
The railway authorities have stated that the direct train service from Jammu to Srinagar will be introduced once the Jammu Railway Station expansion work is done, which is likely to be done by July or August 2025.
MAJOR FEATURES INCLUDE:
- Heating systems with advanced features for a comfortable ride in cold weather
- Emergency communication systems and CCTV cameras for the safety of passengers
- Shatterproof windows and anti-frost windscreens for unobstructed visibility in snow
- These aspects guarantee that the train can operate dependably throughout the year, even in heavy snowfall and freezing conditions.
Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express has been specially designed to run efficiently in Kashmir’s harsh winter conditions. The train has been made by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and is capable of withstanding temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
