Garib Rath suspension disrupts Kumaon–Jammu travel; traders and pilgrims hit

RUDRAPUR: The suspension of the weekly Kathgodam-Jammu Tawi Garib Rath Express since Sept 2025 disrupted a direct rail link for Kumaon residents, forcing pilgrims and traders to take longer and costlier routes to Jammu and other destinations.The fully air-conditioned train linked Kumaon with Punjab and Jammu and was used by devotees travelling to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and by traders sending goods to northern markets. Railway officials said operational disruptions in the Jammu division, engineering works, bridge strengthening and seasonal issues such as winter fog led to the suspension.Before services stopped, the train covered around 768 km between Kathgodam and Jammu Tawi in about 11.5 to 15 hours, leaving Kathgodam in the evening and reaching Jammu the next morning. The return service ran overnight from Jammu Tawi to Kathgodam.With the train remaining off the route through winter and into early 2026, passengers travelled by road to Rampur or Moradabad to board long-distance trains to Jammu or Katra, adding to both time and expense. Social activist Sushil Gava said the suspension had caused problems for traders and pilgrims who depended on the weekly direct service.Haldwani-based trader Anand Singh said businesses were affected because goods earlier sent through the train RE now moved by longer road routes, raising costs and causing delays. "Earlier we could board the train from Kathgodam and reach Jammu comfortably by morning," said Amit Kumar, a devotee travelling to Vaishno Devi. "Now we have to first travel by road to Rampur or Moradabad to catch another train, which increases both time and expense."Railway officials said the suspension was necessary for safety. A Northern Railway spokesperson said track repairs, bridge strengthening and operational requirements in the Jammu division made the temporary halt unavoidable and advised passengers to check train status before planning journeys.Meanwhile, representatives of traders' associations and local market committees met Sardar Bhupendra Singh, a member of the Regional Rail Users' Consultative Committee, on Saturday and urged him to raise the issue with railway authorities. He said the matter would be taken up at the next Railway Board meeting.