Jammu, Feb 13 (KNO): To manage the expected rush during Holi, Northern Railway will run special reserved trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to New Delhi and Varanasi, officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) on Friday.
According to the officials from Jammu Division, special train numbers 04081/04082 will run between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, while train numbers 04603/04604 will operate between Varanasi and Katra.
Train number 04081 will depart from New Delhi Railway Station at 11:45 pm from February 21 to March 8, completing 16 trips, and reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station at 12 noon the following day. En route, it will halt at Panipat, Kurukshetra, Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot Cantt, Jammu and Udhampur stations.
The return service, train number 04082, will operate from Katra to New Delhi from February 22 to March 9 with 16 trips. It will leave Katra at 9:20 pm and arrive in New Delhi at 10 am the next day, with stoppages at the same stations.
Similarly, train number 04603 will run from Varanasi Junction railway station to Katra with four trips between February 24 and March 8. The train will depart Varanasi at 5 am and reach Katra at 6 am the next day. It will halt at Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Bareilly, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot Cantt, Jammu and Udhampur.
The return service, train number 04604, will operate from Katra to Varanasi with four trips from February 22 to March 6. It will depart at 6:15 pm and arrive in Varanasi at 7 pm the next day.
Officials said the special trains are aimed at facilitating smooth and convenient travel during the festival period, when regular services witness heavy rush.
Meanwhile, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has also introduced a full-fare tourist train, number 00913, from Pratapnagar in Gujarat to Katra. The train departed on February 11 and is scheduled to reach Katra on February 14 via Amritsar. It will return on February 16 and arrive back in Pratapnagar on February 18.
Passengers can book tickets through the official IRCTC website, mobile application, or access train information through the 139 helpline and the National Train Enquiry System—(KNO)