Lumding-Silchar section unlikely to be restored before Friday

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, May 4: The Northeast Frontier Railway today cancelled all trains running between Guwahati and Silchar due to heavy rains and landslide at many places along the route.

"Heavy rain is still continuing, resulting in landslides at many places. We have been forced to cancel all trains between Guwahati and Silchar," a railway spokesman said.

Restoration work was on, but was being hampered because of the rains. "The line is unlikely to be restored before Friday," he added.

Restoration work of the damaged 100-metre tracks on the Lumding-Silchar railway route at Phiding yard, 82 km from Lumding station, has slowed down because of inclement weather.

The NF Railway has engaged over 400 workers in the restoration work.

Incessant rain in the last two weeks has damaged the tracks at four different locations. The damage at Phiding was the most severe. The 210-km Lumding-Silchar broad gauge line became operatiol only last November.

At Phiding, over 50,000 cubic metres of earth from an adjacent hill came down, detaching over 100 m of the tracks and crushing 100 m of concrete wall under its weight.