Kashmir's 1st Vande Bharat to be operational within 15 days
What's the story
The first-ever Vande Bharat Express in the Kashmir valley, linking Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) with Srinagar, will be launched in the next 15 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the semi-high-speed rail service. It promises to cut the travel time between SVDK and Srinagar from the current eight to 10 hours by road to just three hours.
Cost
A look at the ticket prices
The Northern Railway will operate and maintain this service. Although ticket prices are yet to be released, estimates indicate that AC Chair Car fares will cost around ₹1,500-₹1,600 and Executive Chair Car fares could be around ₹2,200-₹2,500.
Route specifics
Route and schedule
The Vande Bharat will run on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), covering over 150km in about two hours and 30 minutes. The train will stop at important stations like Reasi, Sangaldan, Banihal, Qazigund, Anantnag, and Avantipora. It will leave SVDK at 8:10am and reach Srinagar by 11:20am. The return journey will commence from Srinagar at 12:45pm reaching SVDK by 3:55pm.
Features
Train designed for extreme cold temperatures
The Vande Bharat Express has been specially designed to endure extreme cold temperatures, operating efficiently at as low as -20 degrees Celsius. It comes with advanced heating systems for passenger comfort in severe cold conditions. The train also flaunts a heated windshield to prevent fogging or freezing in the driver's cabin and anti-freezing plumbing for uninterrupted operations during harsh winter weather.