Vande Bharat to resume operations in April
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 29: Rail passengers travelling to and from Jammu are likely to face prolonged inconvenience as Northern Railway has extended the cancellation, short termination and short origination of several trains under the Jammu Division till the end of May and early June 2026 due to operational reasons.
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Cancelled or short terminated in August last year following damage to bridges and tracks due to heavy rainfall in the region, these trains were expected to resume normal operations by the end of March 2026.
According to an official notification of the Jammu Division of Northern Railway on Wednesday, the extended cancellations affect 20 long-distance and premium trains, including Garib Rath, Duronto, Humsafar, Jammu Mail, and Vande Bharat services connecting Jammu, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Udhampur with major cities across the country.
Among the major trains whose cancellations have been extended are the Jammu-Kathgodam and Kathgodam-Jammu Garib Rath Express, Delhi-Jammu Duronto Express, Kalka-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express, GCT-SVDK Express, Janambhoomi Express, several AC Express services between Delhi, Udhampur and Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and Humsafar Express services connecting Jammu with Tirupati.
Most of these services will now remain cancelled by the end of May or early June 2026, depending on the route and operating days.
In addition, Northern Railway has extended the period of short termination and short origination for multiple trains. Services such as Durg-MCTM Udhampur Superfast Express, Jammu-Sabarmati Express, Sabarmati-SVDK Express, Jammu Mail, Kota-MCTM Udhampur Weekly Express and Indore-Udhampur Express will either terminate short of Jammu region stations or originate from intermediate stations like Ambala, Ferozepur, Jalandhar Cantt, Ludhiana or Pathankot for an extended duration till late May or early June 2026.
However, the railways have also announced partial relief for passengers with the restoration of some key services from April. The much-awaited New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express and its return service, which were cancelled till March 31, will be restored from April 2, 2026.
Similarly, the service between Bhagat Ki Kothi Railway Station in Rajasthan and Jammu Tawi Railway Station, which was earlier short terminated or short-originated at Pathankot, will resume full operations up to Jammu on April 1, with the return service beginning the following day.
Railway authorities have advised passengers to stay updated about train movements before planning their journeys. Commuters have been asked to check the operational status of trains through the official Indian Railways website, NTES mobile application, or by dialling the railway helpline number.
It may be recalled that over 50 Jammu trains were suspended or terminated short of their destinations in August last year after several tracks and bridges were damaged due to heavy rainfall. However, majority of the suspended trains have since been restored. Divisional officials are periodically reviewing various sections to ensure safety and services are being restored in phased manner.
The extended disruptions are expected to impact pilgrims, tourists and passengers travelling to Jammu, Katra and Udhampur, especially during the upcoming summer and pilgrimage season.
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