NFR battles flood crisis; scores of trains cancelled, diverted across Northeast

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: Rail services across Upper Assam and the Northeast have been severely disrupted after the overflowing Dikhow River submerged railway tracks, colonies and key infrastructure near Simaluguri, forcing the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to suspend operations on the SLGR–NMT and SLGR–SLX sections under the Tinsukia Division.

The disruption, one of the worst in recent years, has affected thousands of passengers. Several major trains, including the Rajdhani Express, Vivek Express, Kamrup Express, Nagaland Express, Arunachal Express, Amrit Bharat Express and multiple Intercity, DEMU and passenger services, have been cancelled, diverted or short-terminated.

Addressing a press conference in Tinsukia on Tuesday, Divisional Railway Manager Parag Katre said restoration work is progressing on a war footing. Engineering, signalling and operations teams are carrying out dewatering, repairing damaged tracks, strengthening embankments and restoring signalling systems.

“We hope to restore normal train operations within a fortnight, subject to favourable weather conditions,” Katre said, adding that passenger safety remains the top priority. Railway officials said continuous rainfall in upstream catchment areas caused the Dikhow River to overflow, inundating tracks around Simaluguri and making the route unsafe for train movement. According to the latest NFR operational bulletin, nine down and ten up trains have been diverted, 12 trains have been partially cancelled or short-terminated, while 18 services remain cancelled until further notice.

To reduce passenger inconvenience, Indian Railways has arranged road transport across the affected stretch, introduced a special train between Sivasagar Town and New Tinsukia, and set up help desks at major stations. An expedited refund process has also been launched for cancelled tickets. Authorities are considering a daily special train between Bhojo and Dibrugarh while restoration work continues. Passengers have been advised to check the latest train status before travelling.

 Also Read: Flood Fury Continues in Upper Assam; Rivers Flow Above Danger Level