Northern Railway to operate special trains from Katra to Srinagar on January 27-28 due to snowfall

Due to ongoing disruptions from heavy snowfall, the Jammu division of Northern Railway will operate special reserved trains between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Katra and Srinagar on January 27 and 28 to assist stranded passengers, officials reported on Sunday (January 25).

This initiative comes in response to the persistent weather-related issues in the area. The Jammu–Srinagar national highway, the sole all-weather route connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, was partially reopened on Sunday after being closed for two days because of heavy snowfall in the Banihal sector on Friday. Air travel in Kashmir has also faced interruptions due to adverse weather conditions.

The Meteorological Department has forecast snowfall across most regions of Kashmir and the higher elevations of Jammu from January 26 through the evening of January 27.
According to the schedule, the special reserved train will leave SMVD Katra at 8:10 am on January 27, arriving in Srinagar at 11 am, with a stop at Banihal railway station along the way. On its return trip the same day, the train will depart from Srinagar at 2 pm and reach SMVD Katra by 5 pm, making the same stops.

On January 28, another special reserved train will depart from SMVD Katra at 10:30 am and arrive in Srinagar at 1:30 pm, again stopping in Banihal. For its return journey, special train number 04630 will leave Srinagar at 3 pm and arrive at SMVD Katra at 6 pm, officials indicated.

Also Read: Heavy snowfall triggers tourist surge and traffic chaos in Manali