Jammu Rail Division operates 2 special trains to help 3,000 stranded passengers

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) The Jammu Rail Division, in close coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) and district administration, operated two special trains from Jammu station on Thursday, helping 3,000 stranded passengers reach their destinations.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal, the first special train No. 02238, departed from Jammu to Banaras at 3.45 pm, carrying approximately 1,400 to 1,500 passengers. Subsequently, a second special train was arranged for New Delhi, which departed at 5.40 pm, accommodating over 1,500 passengers.

Scores of people, especially pilgrims, were stranded as heavy rains lashed the Jammu region in the last two days severely disrupting rail and road traffic, and also due to a landslide that struck Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, claiming 34 lives. Jammu region recorded its heaviest rainfall since 1910, at 380 mm by Wednesday morning.

The Northern Railways had 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 due to the devastation caused by record rains.

“In this situation, the Jammu division, in collaboration with Government Railway Police and district administration, ran two special trains today to help stranded passengers reach their destinations,” Singhal said.

“All necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety of passengers and restore rail services in the wake of the flood situation in Jammu division,” he added.

Northern Railways on Thursday night announced the cancellation of 40 incoming and outgoing trains from Jammu, Katra, and Udhampur railway stations on August 29.

The cancellations have been necessitated due to the suspension of rail traffic between Kathua and Udhampur following misalignments and breaches at multiple locations in Jammu, officials said.

The list includes 12 trains that will have short-origin and short-termination.

“Passengers expressed deep appreciation and satisfaction with Indian Railways for the prompt and efficient arrangements made under such challenging circumstances. The heavy rainfall had caused major disruptions in train services, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in the Jammu region,” the press note said.

It added, “Under the overall supervision and guidance of Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar and Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal, dedicated teams led by assistant commercial managers Jaswant Singh and Manoj Meena worked tirelessly.

They closely coordinated with various departments to ensure timely and smooth departure of the special trains, it said.

Officials said that personnel from GRP and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) also played a critical role in facilitating the safe and orderly boarding of passengers.

“Along with running trains for the passengers stranded due to floods, the railway administration also made arrangements for their food and water at important stations like Jammu, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Pathankot Cantt, Pathankot City,” Singhal, said.

“With the help of local people, langars were organized at many places and proper arrangements for accommodation were made. The stranded passengers expressed their gratitude to the railway officials for the arrangements made by the railway administration, which gave them relief and assurance amid difficult weather,” he added.

Heavy rainfall in Jammu-Pathankot has affected the rail services in the Jammu division as railway tracks and bridges bore the brunt of the floods. Train services remain badly hit, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Jammu railway station.

A majority of them are pilgrims returning from the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, which was hit by a landslide on Tuesday, killing 34 people and injuring 20 others, officials said.

Babita Jaiswal, a resident of Kanpur, said, "We were in Katra for two days, but were asked to leave and told that trains were operating from Jammu. We reached Jammu somehow by bus. There is no train or bus available from here... How will we go home now? There is no place to stay, no provision for washrooms... Where will we go?" She had said the stranded passengers want train services to be restored as soon as possible.

Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, also recorded a 24-hour rainfall of 284 mm on Wednesday.

The officials said rail traffic, which was briefly restored on Wednesday with six trains departing Jammu after a day-long suspension, had to be halted again due to flash floods and soil erosion in the Chakki river area.

In a humanitarian step, the Railways reached out to stranded passengers at several railway stations and took measures to provide food and lodging facilities in the prevailing bad weather conditions in the Jammu region.

Food items and water were arranged in coordination with local NGOs and civil society for passengers of stranded trains at Manwal, Sangar and Gaghwal, with the help of station staff, Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police. PTI JP AB NB