Train services disrupted following Rajdhani Express collision with elephant herd in Assam's Nagaon

Rail connectivity on one of Assam’s most crucial railway corridors, the Lumding–Guwahati section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR)—came to a near standstill on Saturday after the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express derailed following a collision with an elephant in the Jamunamukh–Kampur section under the Lumding Division.

The accident triggered a cascading disruption across the network, particularly on the down line of the Lumding–Guwahati route, forcing the railway administration to cancel multiple passenger services, short-terminate several trains, and regulate long-distance express services across Assam and the Northeast.

Senior railway officials, including the General Manager of Northeast Frontier Railway, rushed to the accident site to oversee restoration and safety operations. According to railway sources, emergency response teams were deployed immediately, and track restoration work is underway to resume traffic at the earliest.

As a direct fallout of the derailment, NFR cancelled nine trains on December 20, significantly affecting daily commuters and long-distance travellers alike. Services cancelled for the day include key express, Jan Shatabdi, Vistadome, and passenger trains operating between Guwahati, Upper Assam, and Barak Valley.

The cancelled services are:

Rangiya–New Tinsukia Express

Guwahati–Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express

Guwahati–Badarpur Vistadome Express

New Tinsukia–Rangiya Express

Mariani–Guwahati Express

Lumding–Guwahati Passenger

Jorhat Town–Guwahati Jan Shatabdi Express

Badarpur–Guwahati Vistadome Express

Guwahati–Lumding Passenger

Trains Short-Terminated and Re-Originated

To manage congestion and ensure operational safety, the railway administration resorted to partial operations on select routes. The Alipurduar–Mariani Express was short-terminated at Digaru, remaining cancelled beyond that point, while the Mariani–Alipurduar Express was re-originated from Digaru, with services suspended between Mariani and Digaru.

Long-Distance Trains Held Up Across Assam

The ripple effect of the derailment extended far beyond the accident zone, impacting several long-haul trains connecting the Northeast to the rest of India. Multiple premium and express trains were regulated or detained at stations including Lumding, Hojai, Guwahati, Chaparmukh, Jugijan, and Panikhaiti.

Among the affected trains were the Kanchanjunga Express, Vivek Express, Kamrup Express, Avadh Assam Express, Rajdhani Express, and Humsafar Express, underscoring the scale of disruption across the NFR network.

The Northeast Frontier Railway has urged passengers to check real-time train status through official railway channels before commencing their journeys, cautioning that further operational adjustments may be made until normal rail traffic is fully restored.

Railway officials reiterated that restoring safe and seamless movement remains the top priority, even as the incident once again highlights the persistent challenge of human-wildlife conflict along forested railway corridors in Assam.