NEW DELHI: Leaving no scope for security lapses, the Ministry of Railways has deployed 32 CORAS commandos to ensure the safety of passengers aboard the specially designed Vande Bharat trains. These trains were flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 June, operating from Katra to Srinagar and vice versa.
The CORAS commando unit is a specially constituted unit of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), trained to safeguard passengers and trains during any form of criminal activity. The Katra–Srinagar and the Srinagar-Katra Vande Bharat trains have been operating at full capacity since their inauguration and began commercial service the following day.
The CORAS commandos provide continuous security for both the trains and their passengers without a moment's rest. “The enhanced security arrangement onboard has been made in these two trains as they pass through many sensitive hilly areas between Katra and Srinagar. From September this year, the commercial run of these two Vande Bharat trains will start from Jammu railway station which is now being redeveloped and the works of redevelopment are set to be completed by September”, said a senior railway official.
CORAS (Commandos for Railway Security), a highly trained force equipped with advanced weaponry and bulletproof jackets, was established in 2019 under the RPF to respond swiftly to emerging security threats on trains or in sensitive areas along the railway network. “They—CORAS Commandos have been trained rigorously in a way that they could tam down any kind of high risk act of crimes onboard or terrorist acts on railway”, said a railway source.
According to railway sources, each of the 8 coaches of the Vande Bharat train, designed with special ice-cutting systems, central heating, and other features tailored to the climatic conditions of Jammu and Kashmir, has two CORAS commandos deployed between Katra and Srinagar.
“They (CORAS Commandos) are so swift and alert that even a bird with ill intention cannot enter the coach without being spotted and neutralised by them”, remarked an RPF official.