After a gap of 11 long months the local trains in Jammu and Kashmir resumed their services from Monday.
These train services remained suspended during covid-19 pandemic.
In Kashmir valley, the train services between Banihal to Baramulla were resumed with only one pair of rail while in Jammu region DMU services were made operational between Pathankot and Udhampur. Majority of government employees and local businessmen availing the services heaved a sigh of relief as they boarded trains to reach their workplaces.
Chief Area Manager Northern Railways in Srinagar, Saqib Yousuf said initially only two trains will operate and the number of trains will be increased in the days to come. The local train between Banihal and Baramulla covers a distance of 137 km across 16 stations. Large number of people along the route rely on the services to commute in the absence of proper road connectivity.
Before the launch of the train services in Kashmir valley, a road opening party also detected an Improvised explosive device, a few hundred meters away from the Nowgam railway station near a bridge. Vehicular traffic was also suspended in the area till the teams of Bomb disposal squad defused the IED in a controlled manner.
According to the official sources, “the traffic was restored and the train services too plied normally”.