J&K Highway Closure: 3 Special Trains Ferry 2,200 Stranded Passengers

Jammu: The Northern Railway operated three special trains in J&K on Saturday and successfully transported around 2,200 passengers stranded due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for over 24 hours, an official said.

Jammu Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said two special trains operated between Budgam and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Railway Station, Katra, in both directions, and one between Banihal and SMVD Railway Station to facilitate stranded passengers.

"As soon as we received information about NH-44 (Jammu-Srinagar national highway) being closed, Jammu Division immediately decided to operate special trains so that stranded passengers could get relief. Today, around 2,200 passengers availed these trains," he said.

The 250-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed to vehicular traffic early Friday to facilitate restoration work after heavy rains last week caused extensive damage to road stretches near Samroli in Udhampur and Gangroo in Ramban districts.

A railway spokesperson said the special train departed at 1 pm from Budgam and reached SMVD Katra around 4 pm with halts at Srinagar, Banihal, and Sangaldan stations. On the return journey, the train departed from Katra at 5.05 pm and will reach Budgam around 8.30 pm via Sangaldan, Banihal, and Srinagar.

In addition, a one-way special train was also operated from Banihal to Katra. This train departed from Banihal at 4.30 pm and reached Katra at 6.30 pm, he said.

"The initiative provided much-needed relief to passengers affected by the highway closure, eased congestion at railway stations, offered an effective alternative mode of transport, and ensured timely assistance during the emergency," the spokesperson said.