Train services in Jammu and parts of Punjab were badly affected on Tuesday after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides. The Northern Railway said that traffic on the down line between Pathankot Cantt (PTKC) and Kandrori (KNDI) had to be suspended because of heavy soil erosion and flash floods in the Chakki river.

Railway officials also said that train operations between the Jammu Tawi (JAT)-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) and Jammu Tawi (JAT)-Bari Brahman (BBMN) sections on the down line were impacted due to the floods.

18 trains cancelled, several short-terminated

In total, 18 trains scheduled for August 26 were cancelled. These included long-distance trains such as the SVDK-Secunderabad Express (20434), MCTM-Pathankot Express (74910), SVDK-Varanasi Express (14610), and the MCTM-Dehradun Express (22462). Several services connecting Delhi, Bhopal, and other big cities with Katra were also disrupted.

Along with this, four trains were short-terminated or short-originated. The SDAH-Jammu Tawi Express (22317) and JAT-SDAH Express (22318) were stopped at Firozpur (FZR) and Ambala (UMB). Similarly, the INDB-MCTM Express (22941/22942), MAS-SVDK Express (16031), and SVDK-Sabarmati Express (19416) were also short-terminated at different stations.

To reduce inconvenience, the Indian Railways directed officials to “ensure wide publicity of cancellations and diversions through station notice boards, public announcements, print and electronic media, and SMS alerts.”

Landslide at Vaishno Devi shrine

Meanwhile, incessant rains also triggered a deadly landslide on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district. Officials confirmed that at least five people were killed and 14 others injured when boulders and rocks rolled down the Trikuta hill around 3 pm near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari.

The pilgrimage was immediately suspended. Rescue teams rushed to the spot, as several people were feared trapped. The landslide struck halfway along the 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine.

There are two routes to the shrine. While the Himkoti trek route had already been closed due to rain in the morning, the old route was still open until 1.30 pm. Authorities later suspended it “till further orders in view of the torrential rain.”

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