Soil erosion damages track, suspends train services to Mizoram
Heavy rain caused soil erosion on a railway track in Assam/Mizoram, disrupting train services. Restoration is underway; several trains cancelled.
Train services to Mizoram have been disrupted after heavy rainfall caused soil erosion on a railway track between Jamira in Assam and Bairabi in Mizoram. The damage occurred on the Katakhal-Bairabi section on Thursday evening, prompting railway authorities to suspend operations and begin restoration work.
According to Northeast Frontier Railway officials, approximately 70 metres of track has been affected, with the impact extending up to 40 metres from the centre of the line. The lack of direct road access to the site is complicating repair efforts.
"Considering the site conditions and accessibility constraints, the restoration work may take some time to complete," said Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway. He added that as a result, several trains have been cancelled while others will be short-originated or short-terminated.
A list of affected services has been issued. The Sairang–Guwahati Express (15610) is cancelled on September 5, 7 and 9, while the Guwahati–Sairang Express (15609) will not run on September 6 and 8. The Silchar–Bairabi Express (55667) is cancelled from September 5 to 9, and the Bairabi–Silchar Express (55668) from September 6 to 10. The Silchar–Sairang Express (55669) is cancelled from September 7 to 9, and the Sairang–Silchar Express (55670) on September 6, 8, 9 and 10.
Several trains will instead originate from Hailakandi. The Sairang–Guwahati Express on September 6 and 8, and the Sairang–Kolkata Express (13126) on September 7, will start from Hailakandi, with the Sairang–Hailakandi portion cancelled.
Similarly, some trains will terminate at Hailakandi. The Guwahati–Sairang Express on September 5, 7 and 9, the Kolkata–Sairang Express (13125) on September 5, and the Anand Vihar Terminal–Sairang Express (20508) on September 6 will all end their journeys at Hailakandi.
Railway authorities said they are closely monitoring the situation and efforts are underway to repair the damaged section and restore normal services as soon as possible.