Rail Disruptions in Northeast Due to Cyclone Remal

Cyclone Remal has severely disrupted train services across Tripura, Assam, and several other Northeastern states, including Manipur and Mizoram, due to extensive waterlogging and damage to railway tracks.

The adverse weather conditions, marked by heavy rains, have caused significant disruptions since Wednesday, particularly affecting the New Haflong-Bandarkhal section in southern Assam’s Dima Hasao district. Reports indicate that railway tracks suffered damage at ten locations along the New Haflong-Bandarkhal section under the Lumding division. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has announced efforts to run a one-way special train from Guwahati in Assam to Sealdah in West Bengal on Thursday to mitigate the transportation challenges faced by passengers.

Engineers and workers are working tirelessly to restore railway services, but continuous heavy rainfall and severe weather conditions have hindered the restoration efforts. An official stated that full-scale restoration work could not commence until the rains abate, highlighting the challenging conditions faced by the workforce on the ground.

The following trains have been fully cancelled due to the disruptions:

• Guwahati-Dullabcherra Express
• Guwahati-Silchar Express
• Rangiya-Silchar Express
• Guwahati-Agartala special train
• Silchar-Secunderabad Express
• Lokmanya Express, which connects Agartala and Mumbai

Additionally, several trains have been partially cancelled, including:

• Coimbatore-Silchar Express
• Tripurasundari Express, which connects Agartala with Firozpur Cantonment station in Punjab
• Kanchanjungha Express, connecting Sealdah in West Bengal and Agartala
• Silchar-Guwahati Express
• Agartala-Kolkata special express

This is not the first time train services in the Northeast region have faced severe disruptions. From April 25, passenger and goods train services were impacted for several weeks due to heavy landslides, which damaged railway tracks in the Jatinga Lumpur-New Harangajao section under the Lumding division. The persistent disruptions underscore the vulnerability of the region’s infrastructure to natural calamities. The railway authorities are focused on restoring services promptly, but the severe weather poses significant challenges. The impact of Cyclone Remal on railway connectivity in the Northeast region highlights the need for robust disaster management and resilient infrastructure to mitigate such disruptions in the future.

Speaking to the media a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief public relations officer (CPRO) said, “Water is flowing over the danger level in nearby rivers. Hence, services were stopped. In view of damage to the track between the New Haflong-Bandarkhal section due to cyclonic effect under the Lumding division of the NRF, trains are being cancelled and partially cancelled.”