Indian Railways Cancels 68 Jammu Trains Till September 30 Amid Heavy Rains

The Indian Railways has cancelled 68 incoming and outgoing trains from Jammu and Katra stations till September 30 due to continuous rainfall and flash floods. At the same time, 24 train services are set to resume operations. Rail traffic in the Jammu division has been suspended for the past eight days following track misalignment and breaches at multiple points along the Pathankot-Jammu section.

Thousands Stranded as Heavy Rains Lash Jammu Region

Since August 26, relentless rainfall has disrupted both road and rail services in Jammu, leaving thousands of passengers, particularly pilgrims, stranded. A landslide near the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra claimed 34 lives. By Wednesday, the Jammu region had recorded 380 mm of rainfall, the heaviest since 1910.

To ease the crisis, Railways has introduced special services. "To facilitate stranded passengers, the following train services are being run: Jammu Tawi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (two shuttle services), Jammu Tawi-Kolkata, and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi," a railway official told PTI.

Shuttle Services and Restored Trains

Four trains have been inducted into the Jammu-Katra section for shuttle operations between September 1 and 15. The Railways has also restored the Sampark Kranti, Sealdah Express, Kantri Express, Trivandrum Express, Vande Bharat, and shuttle services.

The Vande Bharat Express is scheduled to resume operations from September 7. So far, 5,784 stranded passengers have been transported in seven trains from Jammu to other destinations.

"Shuttle services with two pairs of trains are running between Jammu and Katra to support locals and stranded passengers, while Jammu-Kolkata and Vaishno Devi-New Delhi services are operational," the official added.

IMD Forecasts More Rainfall

On Tuesday evening, heavy showers hit several parts of Kashmir, with intermittent rainfall reported across the valley. While most areas received light to moderate rain, some locations in south Kashmir experienced heavy downpours.

According to officials, all concerned departments remain on high alert due to the inclement forecast. However, the River Jhelum and other water bodies are still flowing well below the flood alert level.

With inputs from PTI