Heavy rain disrupts train services on Mizoram’s Bairabi–Sairang railway line

Train services on Mizoram’s Bairabi–Sairang railway line were temporarily disrupted after heavy rainfall caused waterlogging and muck overflow along sections of the track, railway officials said on October 1.

The disruption was reported particularly between Kawnpui and Mualkhang, prompting the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to suspend or modify several train services as a precautionary measure.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the disruption was temporary and that 20 buses had been deployed at Bairabi to transport passengers from affected trains to Sairang or Aizawl.

Four trains were short-terminated on September 30. The Silchar–Sairang and Kolkata–Sairang trains were terminated at Bairabi, near the Assam border, while the Sairang–Kolkata and Guwahati–Sairang trains were terminated at Hailakandi in Assam.

The railway authorities also cancelled the Sairang–Guwahati Express scheduled for September 30 and the Sairang–Silchar Express scheduled for October 1. Meanwhile, the Sairang–Kolkata Express scheduled for October 1 will originate from Hailakandi instead of Sairang. Passengers of the affected Kolkata–Sairang and Silchar–Sairang trains were transported by buses on September 30.

Officials said no landslides or track subsidence had been reported along the railway line and that train services were expected to resume soon.

Heavy rainfall has also affected several parts of Mizoram, including Aizawl, since the evening of September 30, triggering landslides and rockfalls at multiple locations. No casualties had been reported in these incidents as of October 1.

According to a bulletin issued by the Aizawl Meteorological Centre on Wednesday, Mamit recorded the highest rainfall in the state during the preceding 24 hours at 69.6 mm, followed by Siaha at 46.5 mm and Tlabung in Lunglei district at 39 mm. Aizawl recorded 12.2 mm of rainfall during the same period.

The weather office forecast moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in parts of Mamit, Kolasib, Lunglei and Aizawl districts on Thursday. Light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning was also forecast for parts of Saitual, Serchhip, Khawzawl, Champhai, Hnahthial, Siaha and Lawngtlai districts.

The 51.38-km Bairabi–Sairang railway line, which includes Sairang station located around 21 km from Aizawl, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 13, 2025. Built at a cost of over ₹8,000 crore, the line connected Mizoram to India's railway network for the first time.