Latest update:24 January 2026, 8:12 PM IST

A video that went viral by Banihal MLA shows the Vande Bharat Express gliding through a snowy valley, highlighting the engineering feats of Indian Railways in Jammu and Kashmir during the peak of winter.

A video that went viral by Banihal MLA shows the Vande Bharat Express gliding through a snowy valley, highlighting the engineering feats of Indian Railways in Jammu and Kashmir during the peak of winter. (Image: X)

A stunning video showing a Vande Bharat Express gliding through snow-capped Himalayan peaks has gone viral after it was shared by MLA from Banihal, Sajjad Shaheen, attracting widespread attention online.

The short clip depicts the semi-high-speed train crossing a white landscape, with heavy snow covering mountains and railway tracks in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir. The images highlight the engineering feat of maintaining rail connectivity in one of India’s most challenging terrains during the peak of winter.

Kashmir will be connected to the rest of India by rail in 2023, marking a historic milestone after decades of logistical and engineering challenges in the Himalayan region. The completion of important sections of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project has enabled smooth rail connectivity to the valley, which for long depended on road access prone to winter closures.

The iconic symbol of this integration is the Chenab Bridge, the highest railway arch bridge in the world, rising 359 meters above the Chenab River. Designed to withstand seismic activity, high winds and sub-zero temperatures, the bridge represents one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects undertaken by the Indian Railways.

Vande Bharat services in Jammu and Kashmir are seen as a major step towards improving all-weather connectivity, especially during the winter months when road links like the Banihal-Ramban stretch often face disruptions due to snowfall and landslides.

The images of the Vande Bharat train cutting through snow come amid a severe cold wave in Jammu and Kashmir, with fresh snowfall reported across higher areas. Temperatures dropped below freezing, covering tracks, tunnels and mountains in snow, conditions that had previously halted surface communication. Railway officials say modern infrastructure, advanced safety systems and regular snow removal operations now allow train services to continue even during harsh winter periods.

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