WATCH | Viral video shows Vande Bharat Express gliding through snow-covered Kashmir

A video clip of the Vande Bharat Express cutting through snow-covered mountains in Jammu and Kashmir has gone viral, giving a glimpse into the winter life of train travel in one of the most rugged terrains in India. The video clip, posted by Banihal MLA Sajjad Shaheen, shows the train chugging along the tracks lined with thick snow.

A winter view from the Valley

The video is a testament to the challenges of maintaining train services in the midst of winter. Snow blankets the slopes and trackside, as the train pushes through the snow, a sight that has come to represent the year-round connectivity of the Valley.

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Watch the video here:

Kashmir’s rail milestone

Kashmir was connected to the national rail network in 2023 , as the crucial parts of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project have been finished. The area had been relying on roads that could be made impassable due to heavy snowfall and landslides, particularly on the Banihal-Ramban route.

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One of the most defining landmark on this line is the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge, rising 359 metres above the Chenab River, which stands out as the world’s tallest railway bridge with a height of 359 meters over the Chenab River. This bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes, strong winds, and freezing temperatures, making it the highlight of the Himalayan rail line.

Winter-ready Vande Bharat

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also shared a video of the train moving through snow, spotlighting the eight-coach Vande Bharatthat has been specially modified to withstand the harsh winters. This train runs a daily round trip and takes a little over three hours to cover the Udhampur-Srinagar stretch.

Built for sub-zero operations

The Kashmir Vande Bharat comes equipped with advanced heating systems to prevent water and bio-toilet tank freezing, heated pipes, self-regulating heating cables, and auto-draining systems that activate when the train is parked. In the driver’s cabin, there’s a heated lookout glass that assists with defrosting, as well as protective coverings designed for extreme weather. The braking system is aided by improved air-dryer heating to function even in low temperatures. In the passenger carriages, warm air ducts and insulated toilets provide comfort.

The 272 km USBRL is an engineering marvel with 36 tunnels, 943 bridges, that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, symbolising all-weather connectivity to Kashmir.