Sub-zero temperatures, a high-altitude route and demanding Indian Railways standards – Ohmvo and Sensing Bird rose to the challenge when it developed a bespoke heating solution for the Vande Bharat Express.
India’s Katra-Srinagar rail corridor forms part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link, a landmark government infrastructure project connecting Kashmir to the national railway grid.
This corridor passes through one of India’s most demanding climatic regions, where winter temperatures regularly drop well below freezing. In mountainous regions such as these, sub-zero temperatures are an ongoing threat to critical onboard systems.
When it comes to rail services on this route, one of the biggest issues is the freezing of onboard tanks. This can not only impact train operation, but also maintenance, by causing equipment damage that can lead to difficult clean-ups.
Water is indispensable to passenger rail operations – serving lavatories, pantry cars and the windscreen cleaning systems that maintain driver visibility in adverse conditions. On a long-distance service traversing high-altitude terrain, consistent access to water isn’t a luxury, an operational necessity.
The Vande Bharat Express Challenge
India Railways operates its Vande Bharat Express service on this route, and needed a way to ensure water was available on its train sets throughout every journey. The answer was robust thermal insulation and protection developed by a partnership of India-based Sensing Bird and Spanish-based Ohmvo.
This international technical partnership combined European railway heating expertise with local systems engineering and manufacturing capabilities to design and develop an advanced heating solution for the Vande Bharat train sets. For those involved, the project represented something beyond a technical collaboration – a shared endeavour that drew on the skills and commitment of engineers across two continents.
“All of the work involving conception, design, execution, production and logistics involved effort from many people on two different continents, and due to their commitment and collaboration this was brought to life beautifully as a single team,” says Ohmvo’s Technical Director.
Engineering for Extremes
Developed in full compliance with Indian Railways standards and safety protocols, the final solution incorporates high-efficiency heating elements engineered for sustained low-temperature operation. At its heart is the use of Ohmvo railway heating mats, used to ensure the train sets’ water storage and biodigester tanks remain operational, preventing freezing-related failures during extended stops.
Its thin, flexible heaters were mounted directly to the tanks, their valves and piping, and had to be robust enough to meet the route’s full temperature range. The service doesn’t just traverse sub-zero mountain terrain; it also passes through mainland India, where summer temperatures can exceed 50°C. The heaters were therefore engineered to perform across an extreme temperature span, from -20°C to +50°C, without any compromise.
The Bespoke Heating Solution
Ohmvo produced two bespoke 900W at 110V heaters for the tanks: 570mm by 390mm in size for the biodigester and 1060mm by 570mm for the water tank. The main challenge for the company was finding the best way to attach the heaters to the cylinders, which are found below the main train deck, and then ensuring they were also protected from the elements.
The solution was to attach the heaters directly to the tanks using adhesive, cover with insulating foam and then add further protection in the form of a metal cover designed by Sensing Bird. This would protect them from any track ballast impacts. The same solution was also used on the piping, to ensure the water was kept above freezing as it travelled the length of the train.
The heaters were Integrated with sensors that Sensing Bird connected to its electrical control system, enabling temperature data to be sent to the operator’s control system. This allows the heating system to activate automatically when temperatures fall below a set threshold and switch off once comfortably within the set operating range.
The Start of Something Bigger
The Vande Bharat Express project was Ohmvo’s first project for rolling stock in India, and the results have been well received. Indian Railways has reported that passengers have noticed and appreciated the reliable availability of hot water on board, even during the route’s harshest winter conditions.
The success of this project has also laid the foundation for an ongoing relationship between OHMVO and Sensing Bird. The two companies have since collaborated on further railway heating projects, and both companies have ambitions to expand their joint offering across other sectors of the Indian market.
For more information on Ohmvo’s flexible heating solutions for rolling stock applications, visit the company’s profile page or contact them directly.
