Train to Kashmir equipped to ply in sub-zero temps

Railway officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate crucial link towards the end of January

- Neha LM Tripathi

NEW DELHI: The tailor-made Vande Bharat Express, which will be the first ever train to link Jammu with Kashmir, is ready and has been brought to Delhi, said officials aware of the matter.

The train, being maintained by the Northern Railway in Shakur Basti in north Delhi, is built to operate even in sub-zero temperatures, with a raft of advanced heating systems baked in to keep passengers comfortable and keep the locomotive from freezing, said the people cited above.

Railway officials aware of the matter said Prime Minister Narendra Modi may inaugurate the crucial link towards the end of the month.

"The journey from Jammu to Srinagar, which takes eight or nine hours by road, will be drastically reduced to three hours ten minutes," said Himanshu Shekhar, chief public relations officer of Northern Railways.

"This train will prevent freezing of water tanks and bio-toilet tanks, with overheat protection sensors for safety and reliability. It is also equipped with self-regulating heating cables that prevent water freezing, for smooth operations even in sub-zero temperatures," said another official from the Northern Railways.