Indian Railways on Saturday (January 25) carried out trial run of specially modified Vande Bharat train from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The modifications were made in the train to make it adaptable to challenging weather in Jammu and Kashmir.
On its way, the train crossed Chenab Bridge, the world's highest rail bridge. The crossing of the bridge was a historic moment for Indian Railways and the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chenab rail bridge is located Bakkal and Kauri in Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir. The bridge is 359 metres above the Chenab river which it spans. It is the world's highest rail bridge and also world's highest arch bridge. It became operational in the year 2022.
During its journey to Srinagar, the Vande Bharat express is also slated to cross Anji Khad Bridge, India's first cable-stayed railway bridge.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday (January 23) that many countries were eager to import the semi-high speed Vande Bharat train from India.
"Many countries have shown interest in Vande Bharat," said Vaishnaw, as quoted by ANI.
"And there is one interesting thing that some participants, who are of Indian origin, say that when they were in India, their children say that they want to sit in Vande Bharat," he added.
First Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019. It ran at a speed of 160 km per hour on New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.
Vande Bharat trains boast of latest amenities and advanced safety systems like Kavach technology. They have accessible toilets for differently abled.
Under this category, four types of trains are being launched in India: Vande Bharat Chair Car, Vande Bharat Sleeper, Namo Bharat Train, and Amrit Bharat Train.
