Jammu, February 9 Almost a week after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah advocated increasing the frequency of trains between the Kashmir and Jammu regions, the Northern Railway announced on Monday that the Budgam-Banihal special train service would be extended to Katra, effective February 11.
The service of special trains numbers 04688 and 04687, which previously operated between Budgam and Banihal, will now also operate up to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station, according to a statement by Raghvender Singh, Public Relations Inspector, Jammu Division.
He stated that this extension was undertaken with the aim of making travel more convenient and comfortable for passengers and strengthening rail connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.
On February 3, the Chief Minister had welcomed the improved rail connectivity between the two regions, stating that the frequency of trains and the number of coaches needed to be increased.
Special train number 04688 will continue to operate between Budgam and Banihal according to the existing schedule, with no changes in timings or stops. From Banihal, the train will depart at 10:10 am and arrive at Katra station at 1 pm on February 11, stopping at Khari, Sumber, Sangaldan, Sawalkot, Dugga, Bakkal, and Reasi stations along the way.
On the return journey, special train number 04687 will depart from Katra station at 1:45 pm and arrive in Banihal at 5:30 pm. The journey from Banihal to Budgam will also continue according to the existing schedule, with the stops remaining unchanged, the statement said.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Uchit Singhal, said that the main objective is to facilitate the movement of local people and tourists from Budgam to Katra, and to improve connectivity to Kashmir.
"Passengers are requested to obtain accurate train information from the official website, by dialing 139, or through NTES before commencing their journey," he said.