Jammu: It appears that train services will be fully restored from Jammu as the repair of critical rail bridge spanning the Ravi river between Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and Madhopur in Punjab which had sustained damage due to last year’s heavy downpour is likely to be completed in May leading to restoration of traffic on both the tracks.
Repairs to the damaged Railway Bridge number17 over the Ravi River between Kathua and Madhopur (Punjab) will be completed in May. It will be fully operational once the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) gives the green light after inspection in the first week of June.
With this, the operation of approximately twenty suspended long-distance trains will also resume. This rail bridge was severely damaged during the devastating floods of August 2025. Around 70 trains were cancelled or terminated before their destinations in the aftermath of torrential rains, flash floods and landslides in different areas of Jammu Railway Division. Majority of the trains were cancelled or short terminated or short-originated in the wake of heavy soil erosion and flash flood in Chakki river under Jammu (Railway) Division. The traffic has been suspended on the down line since then. Since then, trains have been running only on the up line. In addition to the damage to the 17 Down Railway Bridge, the road bridge on the upper section was also severely damaged. One pillar was bent. The upper section collapsed, and the steep erosion below weakened the pillar’s foundation.
After the floodwaters receded in September 2025, the construction of a replacement pillar and track, along with other safety measures, began. Repairs are ongoing at a cost of Rs 14.15 crore. According to railway sources, construction work will be completed by May 30. After that, the Railway Safety Commissioner will inspect it in the first week of June. Once he gives the green signal, trains will resume running on the closed down line from August 2025. The situation forced railways to suspend a few trains while some others trains were short-terminated.
Last week a high-level team of the Indian Railways conducted a comprehensive safety and technical inspection of rail bridges over the Ravi river on the Kathua–Madhopur section of the Jammu division. The inspection was led by divisional railway manager Vivek Kumar, commissioner of railway safety Dinesh Chand Deshwal, and chief administrative officer for the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project Alok Mishra.
Officials said the detailed inspection focused on a critical rail bridge spanning the Ravi river between Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and Madhopur in Punjab. During the visit, officials carried out an in-depth analysis of key structural and safety parameters, including the condition of pillars and foundations of the bridge. Given the strategic importance of the route connecting Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, particular emphasis was laid on evaluating its load-bearing capacity and long-term stability, they said. The team also reviewed track geometry, the condition of sleepers on and around the bridge, and the functioning of modern signalling systems to ensure safe train operations.
