Train services between Rishikesh and Vaishno Devi to resume from November 1

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

Devotees from Uttarakhand planning to visit Vaishno Devi will soon be able to travel directly again, as train services between Rishikesh and Mata Vaishno Devi Katra are set to resume from November 1. The decision comes after several days of disruption caused by heavy rainfall and waterlogging in the Jammu division. The Northern Railway’s Moradabad Division informed that train number 14610, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Yog Nagari Rishikesh Express, and its return service, train number 14609, Yog Nagari Rishikesh–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express, will both restart operations from November 1 on their regular schedules. This announcement has brought relief to pilgrims from Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun, who were facing travel uncertainty due to route suspensions. With the restoration of these trains, passengers from Uttarakhand can once again undertake a direct and comfortable journey to the revered shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides this, two other long-distance trains affected by the adverse weather, train number 15655 Kamakhya–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express and train number 15656 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Kamakhya Express, will also resume operations via Saharanpur station on November 2 and November 5, respectively. The officials stated that all necessary track and safety inspections have been completed to ensure smooth operations. The senior divisional commercial manager Aditya Gupta advised passengers to verify updated train timings and platform information through official railway sources before travel. The resumption marks a return to normalcy for thousands of devotees and travellers who depend on these routes, particularly during the ongoing pilgrimage season.