Passengers planning to board the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express are in for a culinary treat. The train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6. Now, IRCTC has confirmed that they will be serving authentic Kashmiri vegetarian cuisine to travellers starting from the second week of July. IRCTC's Additional General Manager Anand Kumar Jha shared the same in an interaction with PTI. The newly inaugurated Vande Bharat train will connect Katra and Srinagar, reducing the travel time significantly by two to three hours.
An IRCTC official revealed the delectable dishes that will be served to the passengers on board. These include ambal kaddu, babru and Jammu paratha for breakfast and Jammu rajma, Kashmiri dum aloo and paneer chaman for lunch.
Ambal kaddu, a pumpkin dish, is a part of the Dogra cuisine. It's sweet and sour and is typically cooked at weddings. Babru, on the other hand, is a type of stuffed puri - a staple morning meal in the hilly region. These local flavours are set to entice travellers who wish to experience an authentic Kashmiri vegetarian menu. Those wanting to stick to the basics, can try upma, poha and vegetarian cutlet among others.
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More About Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express
Two trains will operate between Srinagar and Katra via Banihal for six days a week, except for Wednesdays. The train will depart from Srinagar at 8 am, reach Banihal at 9:02 am and arrive at its final destination, Katra, at 10:58 am. It will leave from Katra at 2:55 pm and arrive in Srinagar at 5:53 pm.
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Special Features
The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, which runs solely on electricity, is specially engineered to brave freezing temperatures stooping as low as -20 degrees Celsius. Its windshield is equipped with a built-in heating system that can defrost snow and fog for better visibility. Additionally, it contains an air-dryer mechanism and a 5 kVA transformer.
Air-conditioned coaches, automatic plug doors, CCTV facilities and mobile charging sockets ensure a smooth and comfortable journey.
A tech-savvy heating model maintains a steady flow of warm air through the vacuum system even in extreme temperatures. The washrooms are also thermally insulated, preventing toilet tanks and pipes from freezing.
