Nine Months After Floods, Jammu-Punjab Rail Traffic to Fully Resume From May 31 | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: After more than nine months of disruption caused by devastating flash floods and heavy rains in August last year, normal rail traffic between Jammu and the rest of the country is set to be fully restored from May 31, with the completion of repair and restoration work on the crucial Railway Bridge No. 17 between Kathua and Madhopur.

The restoration marks the end of one of the most prolonged disruptions in recent years on the strategically important Jammu rail corridor, which serves not only passengers travelling to Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra but also freight movement and military logistics linking the region with the rest of India.

Railway authorities confirmed that interlocking work on the section will be completed on May 31, after which train movement on both the Up and Down lines will resume normally from June.

“The restoration work on Railway Bridge No. 17 is nearing completion. Earlier, due to repair work on the bridge, only the Up side single line was operational. Once both tracks are fit, rail traffic will run smoothly and efficiently,” an official spokesperson said.

The bridge, located on the Kathua–Madhopur rail section connecting Jammu and Kashmir with Punjab, had suffered extensive damage during unprecedented rains, flash floods and soil erosion in August 2025. The floods had severely impacted railway infrastructure across Jammu Division, damaging multiple bridges and rail tracks and leading to near-total paralysis of train services for several days.

At the peak of the crisis in late August 2025, railway traffic in Jammu Division remained completely suspended for four consecutive days. Officials had then warned that full restoration could take several weeks as key bridges, particularly Bridge No. 17 between Kathua and Madhopur and Bridge No. 137 between Hiranagar and Ghagwal, had sustained extensive structural damage.

The Northern Railway had cancelled nearly 40 trains to and from Jammu, while several others were short-terminated or diverted. Authorities initially operated only a few special trains on partially restored single tracks to facilitate stranded passengers.

As restoration progressed, the Northern Railway in November 2025 announced long-term cancellations and partial curtailment of several major trains till March-April 2026 because of continuing repair work and engineering restrictions on vulnerable sections.

At that stage, 22 trains remained fully cancelled while 16 others were operating with short termination or short origination. Railway officials had then indicated that normal services would only resume after complete rehabilitation of damaged bridges and strengthening of the rail infrastructure.

In December 2025, Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar conducted inspections of the damaged bridges and reviewed the progress of repair works. Railway officials had stated that restoration work was progressing rapidly and train operations would return to normal after completion of the strengthening measures.

The repair efforts intensified further in April 2026, when senior officials, including Commissioner of Railway Safety Dinesh Chand Deshwal, Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar and Chief Administrative Officer (USBRL) Alok Mishra, conducted a comprehensive safety inspection of the Ravi river bridge section.

During the inspection, engineers carried out detailed technical assessments of the bridge’s structural integrity, including examination of pillars, foundations and load-bearing capacity. Officials directed engineers to ensure that the repaired bridge could withstand future extreme weather events and maintain uninterrupted operations.

Railway authorities said special emphasis was laid on safety benchmarks, track geometry, sleeper conditions, signalling systems and emergency preparedness ahead of the monsoon season.

Officials said the bridge has now been rebuilt with stronger structural safeguards after months of round-the-clock work by railway engineers despite difficult technical conditions.

With restoration nearing completion, several major trains cancelled or partially curtailed over the past months will now resume normal operations from June. These include Train Nos. 12549/12550, 19415/19416, 20847/20848, 20985/20986, 22941/22942, 12207/12208, 14611, 19107/19108 and 22705/22706 among others.

Among the prominent services being restored are the MCTM Udhampur Superfast Express, Durg Superfast Express, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express, Sabarmati Express, MCTM Udhampur Weekly Superfast Express, MCTM Kota Express, Indore Weekly Superfast Express, Jammu Tawi Garib Rath Express, Kathgodam Garib Rath Express, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Weekly Express, Bhavnagar Terminus Janmabhoomi Express, Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express and Tirupati Humsafar Express.

Railway officials said restoration of double-line operations would significantly improve passenger mobility to Jammu, Katra and the Vaishno Devi shrine while also normalising freight transport and commercial supply chains.

“The restoration of the track will ease movement for passengers travelling to Jammu, Katra and Mata Vaishno Devi besides facilitating freight transport, commercial activity and military logistics,” the railway spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, anticipating heavy passenger rush during the summer holidays, the Jammu Division has also announced temporary augmentation of coaches in key trains.

One additional Third AC coach will be attached to Train No. 12426 Jammu Tawi–New Delhi Rajdhani Express from June 6 to June 12, while one Sleeper Class coach will be added to Train No. 04082 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–New Delhi Express from June 6 to June 13.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal said the twin decisions of restoring cancelled trains and adding additional coaches would provide major relief to passengers.

“In view of the growing demand during the summer season, the decision has been taken to add additional coaches while resumption of cancelled trains will fully restore train traffic on this section, providing relief to thousands of passengers travelling to Jammu, Katra and Mata Vaishno Devi besides facilitating freight transport and commercial activities,” he said.

Railway authorities have advised passengers to verify updated train schedules and running status through NTES, helpline 139 or the official railway website before commencing their journey.