Jammu, 14 August (H.S.): With the objective of enhancing passenger convenience and strengthening regional connectivity, Northern Railway, Jammu Division has decided to restore the stoppages of 6 important trains at Samba Railway Station.

These stoppages will come into effect in a phased manner from 15 August 2026. The major trains whose stoppages have been restored at Samba Railway Station include Train No. 20434 (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Subedarganj), 16787 (Tirunelveli–Katra), 14803 (Bhagat Ki Kothi–Jammu Tawi), 14804 (Jammu Tawi–Bhagat Ki Kothi), 16317 (Kanniyakumari–Katra) and 16031 (MGR Chennai Central–Katra).

With the resumption of these stoppages, passengers of the Jammu region, especially pilgrims and daily commuters, will get direct connectivity. Now passengers will not need to travel to Jammu Tawi or other major stations. This will not only save time and fare for local people, but will also boost trade, tourism and economic activities in Samba and surrounding areas. Devotees travelling to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi will also now get direct train facility from Samba.

Due to these stoppages, the arrival/departure timings of three trains – 16787, 16317 and 16031 at Jammu Tawi Station have been revised by 5 minutes. The revised timings will be effective from 17 August, 21 August and 16 August 2026 respectively. Now all three trains will arrive at Jammu Tawi Station at 08:30 AM.

In this regard, Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Division said: Keeping in view the demand of passengers and the need of the region, the stoppages of these trains at Samba Station have been restored. This will not only provide convenience to the local public, but will also bring great relief to the devotees coming for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. Our effort is to provide better facilities to passengers and to make railway services more accessible.

Meanwhile, As part of the pan India drive launched by IRCTC to stop the sale of unapproved packaged drinking water on trains, IRCTC Regional Office Chandigarh conducted regular inspections of trains at various stations including Ambala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Katra and Jammu in the past week. During the drive, a total of 49 trains were inspected and 2772 bottles of unapproved packaged drinking water were seized.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar