Northern Railway Resumes 22 Key Trains to Bring Relief to Stranded Passengers
Phase V - 22 key services to and from Jammu, Udhampur, and Katra starting October 15 through 22
Northern Railway's Jammu division has rolled out Phase V of its ambitious train restoration plan, greenlighting 22 key services to and from Jammu, Udhampur, and Katra starting October 15 through 22. This latest surge marks a near-complete revival of rail operations at Jammu Railway Station, just over a month after torrential August rains unleashed flash floods, landslides, and unprecedented infrastructure carnage that stranded thousands and claimed dozens of lives.
The announcement, delivered by Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal, comes as a sigh of relief for the region's vital connectivity lifeline. "We've battled on a war footing—mending shattered tracks, fortifying bridges, and overhauling signaling systems—to get passengers moving again with zero compromise on safety," Singhal declared. He urged travelers to hit the IRCTC app or helpline for real-time updates, noting that while long-haul expresses like the Jammu Tawi-Howrah Humsafar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Prayagraj Puja Special are back in full swing, select locals may still short-terminate or originate to ease testing. Over the past 35 days, nearly two dozen trains have clawed their way back, transforming a ghost-town station into a bustling hub once more.
Flash back to late August, and the nightmare unfolds: Jammu region logged a staggering 380 mm of rain—the heaviest single-day deluge since 1910—triggering the Tawi River's wrath as it swelled beyond 20 feet, submerging the Jammu Railway Station in a chaotic swirl of mud and debris. Cloudbursts and landslides ravaged the Pathankot-Jammu stretch, causing track misalignments, breaches at over a dozen spots, and total blackouts on the Udhampur-Katra line.
Northern Railways hit pause on 68 services through September 30, canceling up to 46 trains in a single day and short-terminating 27 others, leaving pilgrims en route to the sacred Vaishno Devi shrine high and dry. The toll was grim: A devastating landslide near Katra's base camp snuffed out 34 lives, mostly devotees, while flash floods in Doda and Reasi buried homes, washed away NH-44 sections, and stranded over 5,000 in remote hamlets. Telecom lines snapped, schools shuttered, and even BSF recruitment drives halted as the calamity gripped the Union Territory.
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Heroes emerged amid the havoc: Railway crews, defying raging waters, launched seven special unreserved trains that ferried 5,784 marooned souls to safety, including emergency shuttles from Jammu to Delhi departing at odd hours like 11:30 AM. Shuttle pairs between Jammu and Katra—introduced to aid locals and yatri—kept a trickle of hope alive, though they too bowed to flooding by early September. The Vande Bharat Express, that high-speed darling, resumed from September 7 after rigorous checks, while Sampark Kranti and Sealdah Express clattered back online. But the real grind was underground: Engineers battled soil erosion along the Chakki River, reinforced embankments with geotech fabrics, and deployed drones for aerial damage scans, all while IMD warnings of "very heavy" follow-up rains loomed.
This phased resurrection isn't just tracks and timetables—it's a lifeline for Jammu & Kashmir's economy, where rails haul pilgrims (over 1 crore annually to Katra), tourists, and freight worth crores. The Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, suspended for nine harrowing days, has since rebounded, but the scars linger: Crop losses topped Rs 500 crore, and rural folk still rebuild from zero. Phase IV in late September had teased normalcy with 15 trains; now Phase V seals it, barring monsoon's moody encore. "Our goal? Full throttle by Diwali, so families reunite without a hitch," Singhal added, hinting at tech upgrades like AI-monitored flood sensors for future-proofing.
Social media's abuzz with gratitude—#JammuRailsRevived trends with selfies of relieved faces at platforms—but skeptics whisper of climate change's cruel hand, demanding greener infra. As October's chill sets in, these 22 trains aren't mere metal beasts; they're symbols of resilience, chugging toward a healed horizon. Travelers, mark your calendars: Relief is right on track.
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