Flash floods disrupt rail services in Jammu

Srinagar, Aug 27: Rail services in Jammu division have been severely disrupted following unprecedented rainfall and flash floods, with Northern Railways cancelling 58 trains and implementing extensive route curtailments.
Northern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyaya informed Rising Kashmir that, in addition to the cancellations, 64 trains were either short-terminated or short-originated at various stations. He added that three trains were partially cancelled, one partially restored, five fully restored, and three diverted.
“Rail operations briefly resumed Wednesday morning with six trains departing from Jammu after a full-day suspension. However, heavy soil erosion and flash floods in the Chakki River area forced a halt again,” said Upadhyaya.
The CPRO confirmed that rail traffic remains suspended temporarily across the Jammu division due to unsafe track conditions caused by flooding and erosion. He warned that cancellations, diversions, and short-originations will continue until further notice.
Of the affected services, 58 trains are fully cancelled, 46 short-terminated, 18 short-originated, alongside three partial cancellations and three diversions. Only few trains have been fully or partially restored.
“Major disruption has hit long-distance and pilgrim routes, including trains to and from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Jammu Tawi, Udhampur, Pathankot, and Delhi. Rajdhani, Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, and other express trains are among those cancelled or curtailed, significantly impacting passenger movement,” Upadhyaya added.
The Jammu region has experienced record rainfall exceeding 360 mm in less than 38 hours since Monday night—the heaviest in decades—triggering flash floods, landslides, washed-away bridges, and widespread inundation of residential and agricultural areas. This has forced many families to relocate to safer zones.
Northern Railways had already cancelled 18 trains between Katra, Udhampur, and Jammu on Tuesday. By Wednesday, cancellations escalated to 22, with 27 short-terminations, before the latest suspension of 58 more trains.
Pilgrim traffic has been hit hard, with nine trains to Katra, the base camp for the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, among those cancelled, along with several incoming services to Jammu and Udhampur.