Jammu, Sep 08: The Northern Railways on Monday started a special local train service between Katra and Sangaldan to facilitate stranded passengers in the wake of the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Udhampur district.

This is the first-ever local train from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi railway station in Reasi district to Sangaldan railway station in Ramban, aimed at ferrying hundreds of people stranded in Jammu and Ramban belts due to the highway closure, besides facilitating students, and employees between these areas.

The train track distance between Katra and Sangaldan is 63 km and commuters will be charged only Rs 20.

The two local passenger trains will connect twin stations via Reasi, Bakkal, and Dugga stations, and back, from September 8 to September 12, a railway official said.

“On the request of the administration, the Railways Board decided to run the train service for five days to facilitate stranded passengers, patients with health issues, and others in the area. So the first train left Katra for Sangaldan at 8:40 am,” a senior railway official said.

He said on the first day, 464 passengers departed from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi station for Sangaldan railway station, where where train will return at 2 PM.

With roads blocked due to landslides, this five-coach train offers a much-needed lifeline for locals and pilgrims. A large number of passengers have been stranded in Reasi, Jammu, Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts due to the closure of highways and roads.

“We thank the railways and administration for running the trains to facilitate our journey home. We were stranded in Jammu for nine days. The highway was closed. Today, we are happy to leave for home in Sangaldan,” Rafi Mohammad, a local travelling by the train, said.

Similarly, Zeenat Begum, who was stranded after her surgery in Jammu for over one week, is happy to return home to Banihal. “We are very happy. We thank the railways. It is a great relief for us,” she said.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh appreciated the move by the railways, and said on X, “In the absence of road connectivity beyond Udhampur, arrangements have been made to carry essentials via the newly introduced Special Local Passenger Train from Katra to Ramban Sangaldan.”

He added that these essentials can thereafter be transported by road to the Doda and Kishtwar districts.

Singh said the weather seems clear, and highway authorities are working round-the-clock to clear the national highway blockade at Thard and Bali Nallah. “Hopefully by late evening, it may be possible to allow traffic movement,” he said.

Normal train traffic has been disrupted in Jammu and Kashmir since August 26 after heavy rains and flash floods in the Union Territory.

So far, Northern Railway has announced the restoration of 21 trains.

Officials informed that restoration work is underway on priority to clear the debris and ensure the safety of routes. However, the yatra will only be resumed once weather conditions improve and the tracks are declared safe for passage.

The prolonged suspension has caused disappointment among devotees, while local businesses dependent on the yatra are also facing difficulties. The administration has appealed to the public and pilgrims to remain patient and avoid unnecessary travel towards the shrine until further notice.
Authorities have said that the Vaishno Devi Yatra will resume only after the situation improves and the track is declared safe for devotees.

A devotee from Kerala, who was waiting for the gates to open, on the 13th consecutive day of yatra suspension, said, “I am very sad that I did not get to go to the temple. I have been waiting for the last 2 days. The people here are saying that the gates will open after 15 days. But I am hopeful, and I will go home only after completing my yatra.” He also expressed condolences over the death of pilgrims due to the landslide in the area.

The Vaishno Devi Yatra was suspended after a landslide on August 26 that killed 34 people and injured several. The disaster struck in the afternoon, around 3 pm, when heavy rains triggered a massive landslide near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the 12-kilometre trek from Katra to the shrine.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide. Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Jal Shakti, Jammu and Kashmir, is heading the committee, which includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu.
According to an official order, the committee also includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu.