Northern Railway runs special trains for stranded tourists

Northern Railway has introduced special evacuation trains between Srinagar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to move tourists and other travelers stranded after landslides and heavy rain closed the vital Jammu–Srinagar National Highway.

Highway closure leaves tourists stuck across Jammu and Kashmir

Days of intense rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir have triggered landslides and rockfalls along stretches of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway, cutting a crucial lifeline between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India. The closure has left buses and private vehicles halted at multiple points and disrupted the plans of holidaymakers, pilgrims and local commuters at the height of the region’s summer travel season.

According to published coverage, the highway shutdown has been accompanied by reports of long traffic queues, with many passengers unable to continue by road toward Jammu or return to Srinagar. With hotels and roadside facilities under pressure from the sudden influx, regional transport capacity quickly became a central concern for local authorities and transport planners.

Publicly available information shows that air services into and out of Srinagar have also been operating under challenging weather conditions, limiting their ability to absorb the sudden surge in demand from stranded travelers. Against this backdrop, the rail corridor linking the Valley with Katra has emerged as the most dependable alternative for large-scale evacuation.

Tour operators and hospitality businesses in the region have been monitoring the situation closely, as the disruption has coincided with a period of high tourist arrivals for hill-station breaks, Kashmir itineraries and pilgrimages to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

Special trains deployed between Srinagar and Katra

In response to the highway closure, Northern Railway has introduced special trains connecting Srinagar with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, a key junction for both pilgrims and outbound tourists. Reports indicate that these emergency services were scheduled to run from the Kashmir Valley toward Katra to provide a guaranteed rail option for travelers who could not move by road.

According to recent news coverage, at least one special service departed from the Sangaldan area toward Katra as part of a broader evacuation effort that has already moved around 1,500 tourists off the affected highway and into the rail network. Additional trips are expected to be operated as needed, depending on demand and the pace at which road links can be safely restored.

These special trains are using the existing Banihal–Srinagar–Baramulla rail line, extended operationally toward Katra through shuttle and connecting services. The choice of Katra as a terminus allows onward connections by train toward major north Indian cities, easing pressure on Jammu station and distributing passengers more efficiently across the wider rail system.

For visitors whose itineraries included the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, the special trains provide a direct route to their intended destination, while others are able to use Katra as a staging point for further travel to Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and beyond.

Onboard capacity, safety and crowd management

Publicly available information suggests that Northern Railway has focused on maximizing capacity and managing crowds on these special services. Earlier in the season, the operator had already added additional air-conditioned coaches on select trains serving the Jammu–Srinagar corridor during periods of weather-related disruption, creating a template for rapid scaling of capacity in emergencies.

For the latest operation, coaches are being marshalled to prioritize seating and basic comfort for families, elderly passengers and tour groups who have been stranded roadside for extended periods. Standard safety protocols on gradients and in tunnel sections of the Banihal route remain in force, with services timed to ensure adequate pathing on the single-line sections of track.

At stations, local media reports describe stepped-up crowd management, including designated boarding zones, information counters and additional staff presence to direct evacuating passengers. The goal is to avoid bottlenecks on platforms and to keep passenger flows steady despite the sudden spike in demand.

Railway planners are also coordinating timings so that evacuees arriving in Katra can access onward trains with manageable waiting times, reducing the need for large numbers of travelers to remain overnight in temporary accommodation in station precincts.

Impact on the broader travel network

The emergency deployment of special trains is reshaping travel patterns across Jammu and Kashmir and adjoining states, at least in the short term. Tour operators are revising itineraries to route clients via Katra rather than Jammu by road, and many travelers who arrived in the Valley by air are now opting to exit by rail due to uncertainty over both the highway and weather conditions.

According to regional media coverage, the special services are also helping to relieve pressure on accommodation in areas where tourists had been unexpectedly stranded, including highway towns and small hill settlements. As passengers are transferred to larger hubs along the rail line, hotels and guesthouses can begin to normalize bookings and prepare for subsequent waves of visitors once the highway reopens.

There may be knock-on effects for regular rail passengers, as the short-term priority is to move stranded tourists and pilgrims. Some scheduled services in the Jammu division have previously been curtailed or adjusted during major weather disruptions, with temporary shuttle trains and diverted routes implemented to keep core corridors functioning. Similar operational flexibility is likely to be used again while the current special trains are in place.

For the wider Indian Railways network, the episode underscores the strategic importance of the Kashmir rail link as both a tourism driver and a resilience tool when primary road infrastructure is compromised by extreme weather.

What stranded passengers should know before boarding

Travelers affected by the Jammu–Srinagar highway closure are being encouraged, through public reports and advisories, to check the latest rail schedules via official railway information channels and at staffed station counters before attempting to board special trains. As operations respond to evolving weather and track conditions, departure times and stopping patterns can change at relatively short notice.

Passengers heading toward Katra are advised to factor in potential waiting periods for onward connections and to carry sufficient water, basic snacks and essential medication, as station kiosks may be under pressure from the surge in traffic. Families with young children and older travelers may wish to prioritize earlier departures where possible, as these are likely to be in highest demand.

Reports also highlight the benefit of keeping identification documents and tickets easily accessible, particularly for those booked on connecting long-distance services from Katra or Jammu toward metropolitan centers. Organized tour groups are generally coordinating in batches, but independent travelers may need to be proactive in securing seats on the earliest available services.

With heavy rain events becoming more frequent in parts of the Himalayas, logistics and transport specialists note that travelers to the region increasingly rely on rail as a critical backup when mountain highways are affected. The latest operation by Northern Railway to run special trains for stranded passengers offers a current illustration of how quickly evacuation capacity can be scaled when rail infrastructure is in place and operational.