Budgam, Aug 01 (KNO): In view of the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44) due to heavy traffic disruptions, Northern Railway on Saturday announced a special train service between Budgam and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers.
According to an official communication, a copy of which was accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the decision was taken following a surge in passenger rush at Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway stations after the highway closure.
The communication said the proposal has been approved by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Jammu.
“As per the schedule, the special train will depart Budgam at 1:00 pm and reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 4:20 pm, with scheduled halts at Srinagar 1:12–1:17 pm, Banihal 2:15–2:17 pm and Sangaldan 2:58–3:00 pm,” it reads.
“On the return journey, the train will depart Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 5:05 pm and arrive in Budgam at 8:30 pm. It will halt at Sangaldan 5:50–5:52 pm, Banihal 6:40–6:42 pm and Srinagar 8:00–8:02 pm,” the communication said.
“The special service has been introduced to ease passenger movement until normal traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is restored. It will operate with scheduled halts at Srinagar, Banihal and Sangaldan in both directions,” the communication added.—(KNO)