India
pti-Ashish Rana
The Northern Railway has come as the rescue team for thousands of travellers stuck in Jammu and Kashmir after closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway disrupting the road connectivity. The Northern Railways has started three special trains on Saturday to rescue the stranded travellers. Till now around 2200 passengers have used the special services to continue their journey.
Northern Railway launched three special trains on Saturday between Budgam and Katra to help travellers stranded by the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) due to heavy rain damage, assisting around 2,200 passengers with an alternative route.
The special trains was announced after Jammu Division got the reports of NH-44 had remained closed as the restoration work is going on after the heavy rain damage. The services were started between Budgam and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway Station in Katra. With this one-way train from Banihal to Katra providing another route and transport for affected passengers.
“As soon as we received information about NH-44 (Jammu-Srinagar national highway) being closed, Jammu Division immediately decided to operate special trains so that stranded passengers could get relief. Today, around 2,200 passengers availed these trains,” he said.
Special Trains Deployed for Stranded Passengers
The 250-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed to vehicular traffic early Friday to facilitate restoration work after heavy rains last week caused extensive damage to road stretches near Samroli in Udhampur district and Gangroo in Ramban district.
Train Timings and Relief Measures
A railway spokesperson said the special train departed from Budgam at 1 pm and reached SMVD Katra at around 4 pm, halting at Srinagar, Banihal and Sangaldan stations along the way.
On its return journey, the train left Katra at 5.05 pm and was scheduled to reach Budgam around 8.30 pm via Sangaldan, Banihal and Srinagar.
In addition, a one-way special train was operated from Banihal to Katra. It departed Banihal at 4.30 pm and reached Katra at 6.30 pm, the spokesperson said.
“The initiative provided much-needed relief to passengers affected by the highway closure, eased congestion at railway stations, offered an effective alternative mode of transport, and ensured timely assistance during the emergency,” the spokesperson said.
(With Inputs From PTI)
