Imagine sipping a hot cup of hot soup while your train silently crosses the world’s highest railway arch bridge, the iconic Chenab Bridge. Covered in misty mountains and surrounded by deep gorges are the visuals that passengers aboard the Vande Bharat Express between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar are experiencing this monsoon. Recently, the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav shared visuals of the train crossing the incredible Chenab Rail Bridge amid rain and drifting clouds once again capturing the imagination of travellers on social media platforms.What the video shows The video shows Vande Bharat Express slowly crossing the Chenab Rail Bridge while the valley is blanketed in monsoon mist and clouds. The train slowly disappears into mist before emerging on the other side. It is going viral because it captures India’s newest engineering wonder in dramatic weather conditions.It’s a journey everyone wishes to experienceThe Vande Bharat Express operates on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) and is designed for Kashmir’s weather. The semi-high-speed train connects Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra with Srinagar. The train has reduced travel time to around three hours on this section while offering stunning views of the Himalayan landscape. With this service, Kashmir is now more accessible than ever for tourists and pilgrims.Chenab Rail Bridge, the hero of the journey
The iconic Chenab Bridge
The most defining moment of the journey arrives when the train rolls onto the Chenab Rail Bridge, which is known as the world’s highest railway arch bridge.Standing 359 metres above the Chenab River, the bridge is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower and stretches 1,315 metres across the valley. It is built to withstand earthquakes, extreme temperatures and wind speeds of up to 260 km/hr.As the Vande Bharat glides across the bridge, passengers are treated to panoramic views of the Chenab gorge below. During the monsoon, low-hanging clouds often envelop the bridge, creating the illusion that the train is floating through the sky—an experience that has quickly become one of India’s most photographed railway moments.The Chenab Bridge is only one aspect of this extraordinary journey
Chenab Railway Bridge, Jammu & Kashmir (CC4)
- The USBRL corridor stretches around 272 kilometres, featuring 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, making it one of India’s most complex railway engineering projects.
- The route also passes over the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge
- It then enters long mountain tunnels carved through the Pir Panjal range.
- Travellers are rewarded with spectacular views of alpine meadows, rivers, pine forests, apple orchards and picturesque Kashmiri villages.
The train features:
- Advanced heating systems inside coaches
- Insulated toilets
- Heated windshields for the driver’s cabin
- Automatic sliding doors
- Large windows
- Bio-vacuum toilets
- CCTV surveillance
- GPS-based passenger information displays
- Divyang-friendly facilities and touch-free amenities
Coaches
Landscape
- The train feels more like a modern airport lounge and passengers can choose between Executive Chair Car and AC Chair Car.
- The interiors feature ergonomic reclining seats
- LED lighting
- Charging ports
- Automatic doors
- Onboard catering serves
This is a once in a lifetime kind of journey. India has many scenic train routes, from the Konkan Railway to the Nilgiri Mountain Railway but few combine natural beauty and engineering brilliance quite like the Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat.
