HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 23: Train services through the Lumding–Badarpur hill section have been suspended following a major safety hazard caused by a slope collapse between New Haflong and Jatinga Lampur.
According to an official statement issued by Northeast Frontier Railway, the disruption occurred due to boulders and landmass falling onto the railway tracks, a situation attributed to improper construction activities being carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for road repairs in the area.
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The statement said that repair work being undertaken on the nearby road led to a failure in the downstream slope situated between the road and the rail line.
This caused the landmass to bulge and shift toward the tracks, making it dangerous for trains to pass through the section.
Additionally, water flowing directly from the road onto the railway tracks worsened the situation, prompting authorities to immediately suspend rail traffic between Lumding, New Haflong and Badarpur for safety reasons.
As a result of the damage, multiple train services have been affected.
Several trains including the Guwahati–Silchar Express, Rangiya–Silchar Express, Guwahati–Dullabcherra Express and Silchar–Rangiya Express, scheduled to run on June 23, have been cancelled.
The Dullabcherra–Guwahati Express and Naharlagun–Silchar Special, scheduled for June 24, have also been cancelled.
Other services have faced partial disruptions.
The Silchar–Naharlagun Special on June 23 was short-terminated at New Harangajao, while the Charlapalli–Silchar Express of June 21 was short-terminated at Lumding.
The Kolkata–Agartala Garib Rath Express from June 22 was short-terminated at Guwahati.
Similarly, the Agartala–Anand Vihar Tejas Express scheduled for June 23 was short-terminated at Badarpur.
The Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Agartala Express of June 22 was short-terminated at Guwahati, and the Sealdah–Silchar Kanchanjungha Express scheduled for June 23 was short-terminated at Lumding.
In addition to these cancellations and terminations, the Silchar–New Delhi PSK Express scheduled for June 23 has been rescheduled to depart at 6:00 am on June 24.
Railway authorities have already deployed manpower to begin clearing the debris from the affected section.
The Lumding Division has written to the NHAI requesting immediate protection work, including the deployment of additional manpower and machinery to prevent further damage to the track. The affected railway line serves as a crucial connectivity route for the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Barak Valley region, making its swift restoration a priority.
