SRINAGAR: The Northern Railway has announced a temporary change in the operation of the Vistadome Special train (04687/04688), which will run only between Banihal and Budgam from July 1 to August 31, 2026, or until further orders, in view of the annual Amarnath Yatra.
According to a spokesperson of the Jammu Division of the Northern Railway, the train will not operate on the Banihal–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra section during the period.
At present, the Vistadome Special runs between Budgam and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. However, from July 1, the service will originate and terminate at Banihal, restricting its operation to the Kashmir Valley section between Banihal and Budgam.
While the temporary change is understood to be linked to arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra, the Railways has not officially specified the reason for curtailing the train’s service up to Katra.
The Railway spokesperson advised passengers to verify the latest train schedules through the official Railway website, the NTES mobile application, or by calling the railway enquiry helpline at 139 before planning their journey.
At present, three pairs of trains, comprising six daily services, operate between Jammu/Katra and the Kashmir Valley. These include two pairs of Vande Bharat Special trains between Jammu and Srinagar and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Budgam Vistadome Special (04687/04688).
The revised arrangement will remain in force until August 31, 2026, or until further orders, the Railways said.
