Jammu, Oct 07 (KNO): In view of the extra rush of passengers during the festive season, Northern Railway has decided to run two reserved Festival Special Express trains between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra for the convenience of travellers and devotees.
Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the railway administration will operate Train No. 04083/04084 New Delhi – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra – New Delhi Reserved Festival Special Express for two trips each.
Train No. 04083 from New Delhi to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra will depart from New Delhi at 14:00 hrs on October 9 and October 16, 2026 (Friday) and will reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 03:00 hrs the next morning.
On its return journey, Train No. 04084 from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to New Delhi will depart from Katra at 10:00 hrs on October 10 and October 17, 2026 (Saturday) and will reach New Delhi at 23:30 hrs on the same day.
The train will cover a total distance of 655 kilometres and will have a total of 22 modern LHB coaches for the convenience of passengers.
En route, the festival special train will halt at Sonipat, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Ambala Cantt, Dhandari Kalan, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot Cantt, Shaheed Captain Sunil Kumar Choudhary Kathua, Jammu Tawi and Shaheed Captain Tushar Mahajan stations.
In the same sequence, special train No. 04081/04082 is also currently being operated, which will remain operational till October 26.
Giving information in this regard, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal, said, "During the festive season, there is a huge increase in the number of devotees visiting Mata Vaishno Devi. In view of this, these special trains are being run so that passengers can be provided with a smooth and comfortable journey with confirmed seats."
He appealed to passengers to plan their journey in advance and book tickets through the IRCTC website or railway reservation counters.
The Jammu Division Railway Administration is fully committed to providing better facilities to passengers during the festivals—(KNO)