Vande Bharat train speed raised to 100 kmph on Katra-Banihal route
The maximum permitted speed on India’s 111-kilometre Katra-Banihal rail section has risen from 75 kmph to 100 kmph. Officials said a Vande Bharat Express crossed both the Chenab and Anji bridges at the higher speed after prescribed safety conditions were met.
The maximum permissible speed on the 111-kilometre Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Banihal rail section has been increased from 75 kmph to 100 kmph, Northern Railway officials said. The change was tested on Thursday when a Vande Bharat Express crossed the Chenab Railway Bridge and the Anji Khad Bridge at 100 kmph. The test forms part of operations on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link project.
Senior divisional commercial manager Uchit Singhal said the speed enhancement followed compliance with prescribed safety conditions. The Railway Ministry approved the increase after the required conditions were met in August. Previously, trains were permitted to travel at up to 85 kmph on the Katra-Sangaldan section and 75 kmph between Sangaldan and Banihal.
Officials expect the new limit to reduce journey times and improve the smoothness and comfort of services. The route passes through difficult terrain in the Pir Panjal and lower Himalayan ranges, including deep valleys, steep slopes, rivers and complex geological formations. Its infrastructure includes long tunnels and major bridges, among them the Chenab bridge, described by officials as the world’s highest railway bridge, and the Anji bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge.
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