Jammu, Sep 3: Train services in the Jammu railway division remain severely disrupted after heavy rains and flash floods battered the region, causing extensive damage to the Pathankot-Jammu line.
The Northern Railway on Wednesday announced the cancellation of 68 incoming and outgoing trains from Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra stations till September 30, even as 24 services are being gradually restored.
Officials said that rail traffic has been suspended for the past eight days due to breaches and track misalignments at several places on the Pathankot Jammu section. The situation left scores of people, including Vaishno Devi pilgrims, stranded across the division.
“To facilitate stranded passengers, shuttle services have been pressed into service between Jammu Tawi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. Additionally, long-distance trains including Jammu Tawi Kolkata and Katra New Delhi have been allowed to operate,” a senior railway official told the news agency Kashmir News Trust.
Four trains have been inducted in the Jammu Katra section for shuttle service between September 1 and 15. The restored trains include Sampark Kranti, Sealdah Express, Kantri Express, Trivandrum Express and the popular Vande Bharat, which will resume operation from September 7.
Railways said that two pairs of shuttle services are now running daily between Jammu and Katra to cater to local commuters and pilgrims. Officials added that so far 5,784 stranded passengers have been transported in seven special trains from Jammu for their onward journey.
Despite the partial resumption, normalcy in rail operations is expected to take weeks given the scale of damage. The cancellation of 68 trains till September 30 reflects the continued vulnerability of the Jammu division to extreme weather events. [KNT]
