Srinagar: Years of hard work and dedication, and some engineering marvels later, the dream of Kashmir to be connected by rail finally came to fruition after a specially-designed Vande Bharat Express train arrived in the city on Saturday, completing its trial run.
The train, on its maiden trial run, arrived at Srinagar station in the Nowgam area on the city’s outskirts from Katra in Jammu.
It reached Jammu on Friday.
The train, on its maiden trial run, arrived at Srinagar station from Katra in Jammu at 11:30 am.
The train later moved to Budgam station to complete its trial run.
“The first trial run of the Vande Bharat between Katra and Kashmir was completed successfully,” an official said.
“This is a historic step. It reflects the vision of our prime minister to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country,” reported PTI quoting Northern Railway’s Chief Area Manager (Srinagar) Saqib Yousuf.
He added that the trial was also to ascertain the time the train would take on various sections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the train from Katra, as the commissioner of railway safety has given the green signal for running the service on the Katra-Baramulla section.
The Railways completed 272 kilometres of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project last month.
Considering Jammu and Kashmir’s extreme weather conditions, the train has several additional features to meet operational challenges and passengers’ needs.
— Advanced heating systems.
— Bio-toilet tanks.
— Embedded heating elements in the windshield to ensure clear visibility in harsh winter conditions.
“It has heating units to withstand sub-zero temperatures, heating pads to avoid the freezing of water in pipes and tanks, and an ambient temperature control system in the driver’s cab. All these facilities have been designed to deal with the snowy and cold conditions,” added Saqib Yousuf.
The train features all other amenities of the existing Vande Bharat trains — fully air-conditioned coaches, automatic plug doors and mobile charging sockets, among others.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha described it as a historic moment and a dream come true.
“A historic moment and a dream come true! A trial run of the Vande Bharat Express train from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway Station, Katra, to Budgam has been completed. Congratulations to Indian Railways officials and the team working on the ground,” he said in a post on X.
