SRINAGAR: The newly introduced shuttle train service between Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra was suspended on Wednesday due to heavy rains and flooding of tracks, disrupting travel for local commuters and pilgrims.
According to Northern Railway officials, all four shuttle trains—04632 (Katra–Jammu), 04632 (Jammu–Katra), 04634 (Katra–Jammu), and 04633 (Jammu–Katra)—remained cancelled through the day. The services had only been launched on September 1 for a two-week period to facilitate stranded passengers and daily travellers, and were scheduled to operate until September 15.
“The shuttle services between Jammu and Katra, which had been initiated to aid stranded passengers and pilgrims, have been cancelled temporarily due to waterlogging and unsafe conditions,” an official said. The trains were especially intended to ease the movement of devotees visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra.
Besides, a landslide near Bajalta forced the Sampark Kranti Express (12445) from New Delhi to Katra to be short-terminated at Jammu Railway Station. Its return service, 12446 (Katra–New Delhi), was short-originated from Jammu at 9:35 pm.
The suspension of the shuttle comes against the backdrop of widespread disruption across the Jammu Railway Division. Normal traffic has been paralysed for the past nine days following track misalignments and breaches caused by torrential rains and flash floods on August 26 along the Pathankot–Jammu section. Northern Railway has already announced the cancellation of 68 trains to and from Jammu and Katra until September 30.
While the Railways has gradually restored a handful of services—such as the Sampark Kranti from September 1 and the Sealdah Express from September 2—plans to resume additional trains including Swaraj Express, Jammu Tawi–Ajmer, SMVD Katra–New Delhi, Andaman Express, Himsagar Express, and Navyug Express, later this week remain uncertain due to fresh weather-related damage.
Officials acknowledged that the ongoing rains had not only halted repair work but also risked further damaging vulnerable stretches of track. “Restoration work is being carried out on a war footing, but progress depends on weather conditions and track stability. Passenger safety remains our top priority,” Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, told reporters.
The disruption has caused severe inconvenience, particularly for thousands of pilgrims bound for Katra, as well as for long-distance passengers across India. However, air traffic in Jammu and Kashmir remained mostly unaffected.
With both road and rail connectivity in the region heavily impacted, authorities said joint efforts are underway to restore infrastructure at the earliest, but warned that continued rainfall could delay the resumption of full services.
