'Unstoppable' Vande Bharat Express: Watch it glide through snow-blanketed tracks of Kashmir

When Banihal MLA Sajjad Shaheen posted a clip of the semi‑high‑speed Vande Bharat Express travelling through thick snow, the internet erupted with joy. The train glides over snow‑blanketed tracks in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, turning a once‑isolated Valley into a year‑round corridor of progress.

Since rail connectivity reached the Kashmir Valley in 2023 via the Udhampur‑Srinagar‑Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the region has shed its dependence on fragile road links that often shut down under heavy snowfall and landslides.

Even as a severe cold wave blankets the Himalayas and temperatures plunge well below freezing, railway authorities keep the tracks alive with advanced heating, snow‑clearing trains and real‑time safety systems. The result: a three‑hour Katra‑Srinagar journey — no matter how thick the snow.

Netizens react:

One commenter quipped, “Why spend lakhs to visit Switzerland when you can enjoy such breathtaking snow‑clad train journeys in India itself?” Another added, “Katra‑Srinagar Vande Bharat runs through fresh snowfall, built for extreme cold with advanced heating and visibility systems—cutting travel time to three hours and delivering year‑round connectivity.”