Assam floods disrupt rail services, over 30 trains affected

Assam Floods Force Cancellation, Diversion of Over 30 Trains

Rail services in Assam have been severely disrupted as floodwaters inundate key railway infrastructure, leading to the cancellation, diversion, and short-termination of over 30 trains. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) confirmed that operations in the Simaluguri section have been suspended indefinitely due to submerged tracks and station yards.

Train Operations Suspended for Safety
Kapinjal K Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, stated that train movement between the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections has been halted to ensure passenger safety. Long-distance trains to and from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia are being rerouted via the Rangiya-Rangapara-Dibrugarh corridor.

Local passenger services have also been heavily impacted, with several trains cancelled outright. Others have been short-terminated or short-originated to mitigate risks posed by the flooding.

Full List of Affected Trains
Cancelled Trains (July 20 and 21):
- July 20: Tinsukia-Lumding DEMU, Guwahati-Ledo Intercity Express, Lumding-Tinsukia DEMU, and others.
- July 21: Tinsukia-Jorhat Town Passenger, Simaluguri-Dibrugarh Passenger, and New Tinsukia-Rangiya Intercity Express, among others.

Short-Terminated/Short-Originated Trains:
- Dibrugarh-Guwahati Nagaland Express will operate only between Dimapur and Guwahati on July 20. On July 22 and 23, it will start from Mariani instead of Dibrugarh.
- The Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will start from Guwahati or Rangiya on July 20, bypassing Dibrugarh entirely.

Diverted Trains:
- Trains like the Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express and Kanniyakumari Vivek Express will be rerouted via Dibrugarh-North Lakhimpur-Rangiya.
- Other long-distance services, including the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express and New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, will follow similar diversions.

Why This Matters
The flooding in Assam underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to extreme weather events. The disruption of rail services not only affects passenger movement but also hampers the transportation of essential goods to the flood-affected region. With no timeline for the resumption of normal services, the situation remains a logistical challenge for Indian Railways.

Further updates are awaited as the NFR monitors the situation.

Source: Indian Express