Rail traffic between Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir and Madhopur in Punjab has been suspended due to heavy rainfall and flooding, causing widespread disruption in train services across northern India.
The northern railway on Thursday announced the cancellation of 38 trains, along with 10 short terminations and four short originations, severely affecting passenger travel, especially on routes connecting to Jammu and Katra.
Among the major long-distance trains cancelled for Friday include the New Delhi-Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express, Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jammu Duronto Express, Howrah-Jammu Express, Pune-Jammu Express, Kolkata-Jammu Express and Nanded-Jammu Tawi Express.
Several trains serving pilgrims to Vaishno Devi, including the Pooja Express, Swaraj Express, and Kanyakumari-Katra Express, have also been cancelled, according to an official spokesperson.
In addition, services such as the Jammu-Guwahati, Jhelum Express, Jammu-Varanasi and Jammu-Tirupati will now operate from short-originating stations such as Ambala, Roorkee, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Safdarjung and Amritsar.
Trains like the Sabarmati-Jammu Express and Varanasi-Jammu Express will be short-terminated at Pathankot and Ambala, respectively.
Chief public relations officer, northern railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said: “Passengers are requested to check real-time updates through the Rail Madad helpline 139 or the NTES mobile app before commencing their journey,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Chief public relations officer, northern railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said: “Passengers are requested to check real-time updates through the Rail Madad helpline 139 or the NTES mobile app before commencing their journey,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab Roadways, PRTC suspend bus services to Jammu, parts of HP
Ludhiana: Due to flash floods and widespread landslides, Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) have suspended all bus services to Jammu and parts of Himachal Pradesh since Wednesday. Private operators have also stopped running buses along these routes, stranding hundreds of passengers at bus stands across the state.
Floodwaters, washed-away bridges, and frequent landslides have disrupted road connectivity between Punjab and the affected regions. Multiple stretches of national highways linking Punjab to Jammu and Himachal Pradesh remain closed, compounding the travel crisis.
Officials say that around 200 government buses operating on routes to Jammu, Katra, Kullu, Manali, Manikaran, Shimla and Chamba have been stalled due to damaged infrastructure.
Navraj Batish, general manager, Punjab Roadways, at Ludhiana depot, confirmed: “While there is no official announcement, we have suspended services from Ludhiana to these destinations to ensure passenger and staff safety.”
Currently, buses from Punjab are operating only up to Mukerian. Services to Manali and Manikaran had already been limited since June due to monsoon rains. Routes to Una, Shimla and Dharamshala were also suspended following recent floods in the region.