Railway minister orders special trains to help stranded flyers amid Jammu, Chandigarh airport closures

Due to the closure of Jammu and Chandigarh airports, passengers who were stranded were provided with special train services by Indian Railways. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister for Railways, reviewed the arrangements made for rail operations. 

After taking stock of the situation, he instructed railway officials to coordinate with various government agencies and operate trains to assist people in border areas. Along with regular trains, special trains should also be run as per requirements.

As per the minister’s missive, four special trains were operated from Jammu and Udhampur on May 9. The first special train, number 04612, departed from Jammu station at 10:45 AM, consisting of 12 unreserved coaches and 12 reserved class coaches. A 20-coach Vande Bharat Express departed from Udhampur at 12:45 PM, travelling via Jammu and Pathankot to New Delhi.

Another special train with 22 LHB coaches departed from Jammu station at 7:00 PM. One more Vande Bharat special train departed from Jammu at 3:30 PM and is scheduled to reach New Delhi in the evening.

The government on Friday extended the closure of 24 airports across the country till May 15, amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. The 24 shut airports across India include two airports in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, one in Ladakh, four airports in Punjab, three airports in Himachal Pradesh, four airports in Rajasthan, seven airports in Gujarat, the Hindon Airport in Uttar Pradesh, one in Madhya Pradesh and the Chandigarh International Airport.

Following the latest directive on the closure of airports, IndiGo, the country's biggest airline, said all flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Rajkot, Jodhpur, and Kishangarh will remain cancelled until 0529 hours on May 15.

“These precautionary measures have been instituted with your safety and security as our highest priority,” the Gurugram-based airline said in a statement. “We remain fully committed to providing you with unwavering support while navigating this situation together,” it said.

After the notification from aviation authorities on the continued closure of multiple airports in India, Tata Group-owned Air India said flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bhuj, Jamnagar and Rajkot are being cancelled till 0529 hours IST on May 15, pending further updates. Customers holding valid tickets for travel during this period will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations, it said.