Special Katra-Banihal train service extended till Oct 7
Jammu, Oct 2: Jammu Railway Division of the Northern Railway has extended the operation of special Katra-Banihal train service by four days i.e., till October 7, 2025 for passengers’ convenience during festive season.
On September 18, Jammu Railway Division had announced this special train service from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Banihal for 15 days to address Srinagar Jammu National Highway related travails of people due to damaged stretches in recent rain-induced landslides and flash-floods.
The service, which commenced from September 19, 2025, was scheduled to operate till October 3, 2025.
Just a day ahead of expiry of this period, Jammu Railway Division announced its extension by another four days.
A decision in this connection was taken by Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) Jammu Railway Division Uchit Singhal and Senior Divisional Operations Manager Arish Bansal in view of the increase in passenger traffic, especially during the festive season.
“To meet the increasing passenger demand and ensure smooth travel, special train No 04688/04687 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Banihal-Katra was operated for 15 days from September 19 to October 3, 2025, in the Jammu Division of Northern Railway. This proved to be a better option for passengers than road transport. For passenger convenience, the operation of Train No 04688/04687 has been extended for four days from October 3 to October 7,” stated Senior DCM Jammu Railway Division, Uchit Singhal.
He informed that the timetable and station stoppages of these trains (train numbers 04688 and 04687) will remain unchanged.
“No changes have been made. Passengers are requested to consult the Indian Railways website or the official passenger enquiry number 139 for travel-related information,” Singhal said.
Earlier, this special initiative was taken acceding to the request of divisional administration Jammu for provision of starting train service between Katra and Banihal for temporary basis until road connectivity was fully restored.
As per schedule in place, train number 04688 Banihal to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Special train will depart from Banihal at 11 am and arrive at Katra at 1.30 pm. It will stop at Reasi, Bakkal, Dugga, Sawalkot, Sangaldan, Sumber and Khari stations along the route. Similarly, Train number 04687 will run between Katra and Banihal, departing from Katra at 1.45 pm and arriving at Banihal at 1.10 pm.
Both trains will have stoppages at the same stations.
