Northern Railway to run special trains between Katra and Srinagar on Jan 27–28 amid snowfall

In view of continued disruptions caused by 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 facilitate the movement of stranded passengers, officials said on Sunday (January 25).

The move comes amid ongoing weather-related challenges in the region. The Jammu–Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, was partially reopened on Sunday after remaining shut for two days due to heavy snowfall in the Banihal sector on Friday. Air traffic in Kashmir has also been affected due to adverse weather conditions.

According to the Meteorological Department, snowfall is expected across most parts of Kashmir and the higher reaches of Jammu from January 26 until the evening of January 27.

As per the schedule, the special reserved train will depart from SMVD Katra at 8.10 am on January 27 and reach Srinagar at 11 am, halting at Banihal railway station en route. On the return journey the same day, the train will leave Srinagar at 2 pm and arrive at SMVD Katra at 5 pm, with identical stoppages.

On January 28, another special reserved train will depart from SMVD Katra at 10.30 am and reach Srinagar at 1.30 pm, again stopping at Banihal. On its return leg, special train number 04630 will leave Srinagar at 3 pm and reach SMVD Katra at 6 pm, officials said.

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