Passengers suffer as several trains cancelled, rescheduled
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 16: The redevelopment of Jammu Tawi Railway Station has resulted in the cancellation and rescheduling of several trains until March, thus causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers, including pilgrims visiting the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, for the next around two months.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
According to an official spokesperson of the Northern Railway, 65 trains to and from Jammu will remain cancelled for different periods while 25 other trains are being short terminated or rescheduled.
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL ORDER
Among the key trains that will remain suspended are the Vande Bharat between New Delhi and Katra (from January 16 to March 3), Shalimar Express between Jammu and Barmer (till March 6), Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) operating between Pathankot and Udhampur (till March 6), Archana Express between Jammu and Patna (till March 5) and the Indore-Udhampur weekly train (till March 5).
Additionally, several other trains have been cancelled, including services connecting major cities like Sealdah, Kathgodam, and Guwahati.
“As part of the Jammu Tawi Railway Station’s redevelopment and expansion, a new railway station is being constructed, which will include four additional platforms, taking the total to seven. This project has to be completed in the next six months,” said officials.
“As a result of the Pre Non-interlocking (PNI) and Non-interlocking (NI) work from January 15 to March 3, 2025, in connection with the redevelopment, several trains will not operate to and from Jammu while schedule of several other trains has been altered,” officials added.
Durg Express to Udhampur, a weekly train, will not run till February 28 while the Tirupati Balaji-Jammu Humsafar Express will remain suspended till February 28 and the Sealdah-Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express will not operate from February 24 to March 5.
While elaborating, officials said that 14662 Jammu Tawi-Barmer Express shall remain cancelled from January 15 to March 6; 74909-10 Pathankot-Udhampur-Pathankot is cancelled from January 15 to March 6; 12355 Patna-Jammu Tawi-Patna is cancelled on specific dates in January, February, and March; 22941-22942 Indore-Udhampur-Indore is cancelled on specific dates in January, February and March; 20847-20848 Durg-Udhampur-Durg on specific dates in January and February; 22705-22706 Tripura-Jammu-Tripura on specific dates in January and February; 22317 Sealdah-Jammu Tawi on February 24 to March 3; 22318 Jammu Tawi-Sealdah on February 26 to March 5; 15655 Kamakhya-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express on January 19, 26, and February 2, 9, 16, 23; 12491 Barauni-Jammu Tawi Express on February 9, 16, 23, and March 2; 12210-09 Kathgodam-Kanpur Central Express on March 3-4; 12587-88 Gorakhpur-Jammu Tawi Express on March 3 and 8; 15098-97 Jammu Tawi-Bhagalpur Express on March 4 and 6 and 15651-52 Guwahati-Jammu Tawi Express on March 3 and 5.
The cancellations and rescheduling of trains has caused significant disruptions to travel plans of the people, including the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine at Katra. Vande Bharat between New Delhi and Katra (22439 and 22440) will remain cancelled for next 50 days from January 16, 2025.
Even as the passengers have been advised to check with the railway authorities for the latest updates on train schedules, the widespread disruption caused by the cancellations has left many travellers frustrated and inconvenienced who alleged that no proper information about the plan was shared.
As a part of its redevelopment and expansion, the Jammu-Tawi Railway Station is being equipped with modern infrastructure and its number of platforms will increase from three to seven.
Besides platforms, the number of washing pits will also increase from three to five with enhanced line capacity and reception-departure facility. Moreover, all the platforms will be equipped with washable aprons which will improve cleanliness and hygiene scenario at the platforms.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
