Jammu: The Northern Railways on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of 58 trains to and from Jammu and Katra stations, while 64 trains were short-terminated or short-originated at various stations in the division in view of the devastation caused by record rains.
Rail traffic, which was briefly restored on Wednesday morning with six trains departing from Jammu after a day-long suspension, has again been halted due to flash floods and heavy soil erosion in the Chakki river area, officials said.
“Due to heavy soil erosion and flash floods in the Chakki River, rail traffic in the Jammu division has been temporarily suspended. Trains will remain cancelled, diverted, short-terminated or short-originated until further notice,” said the public relations officer (PRO) of Northern Railway, Jammu Division.
Providing details, the PRO said 58 trains were cancelled, three partially cancelled, one partially restored, five fully restored, and three diverted. Additionally, 18 trains will have short origins and 46 short terminations.
Earlier in the day, six trains were restored — three that were cancelled and three that were short-terminated at different stations.
Heavy rains have been lashing the Jammu region for the past 38 hours, severely disrupting rail and road traffic. On Tuesday, Northern Railways cancelled 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and Jammu. By Wednesday, there were 22 cancellations and 27 short terminations.
The Jammu region has recorded its heaviest rainfall in decades, with over 360 mm in less than 38 hours since Monday night. The downpour has triggered floods, landslides, damaged bridges and roads, and inundated residential and agricultural areas, forcing people to move to safer locations.
Of the 22 trains cancelled earlier, nine were from Katra — the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine — and one from Jammu, officials said. Incoming trains to Katra, Jammu and Udhampur were also cancelled.
