SRINAGAR: Northern Railway on Saturday operated three special trains in Jammu and Kashmir, transporting around 2,200 passengers stranded due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) for more than 24 hours.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal said two special trains were operated between Budgam and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Railway Station, Katra, in both directions, while an additional one-way special train ran between Banihal and SMVD Railway Station to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers.
“As soon as we received information about the closure of NH-44, the Jammu Division immediately decided to operate special trains so that stranded passengers could get relief. Today, around 2,200 passengers availed these trains,” Singhal 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 on Friday to facilitate restoration work after heavy rainfall last week caused extensive damage to road stretches near Samroli in Udhampur district and Gangroo in Ramban district.
According to a Northern Railway spokesperson, the first special train departed Budgam at 1 pm and reached SMVD Katra at around 4 pm, halting at Srinagar, Banihal and Sangaldan en route. The return service left Katra at 5.05 pm and was scheduled to reach Budgam at around 8.30 pm, stopping at Sangaldan, Banihal and Srinagar.
A separate one-way special train also departed Banihal at 4.30 pm and reached SMVD Katra at 6.30 pm, the spokesperson said.
Railway officials said the special services provided an alternative travel option for passengers affected by the highway closure, eased congestion, and ensured timely transportation during the disruption caused by adverse weather conditions.
