Flood fury disrupts rail network: NFR cancels, diverts several trains via Dibrugarh

Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has cancelled, diverted and short-terminated several passenger and long-distance trains after severe flooding at Simaluguri in Assam's Sivasagar district disrupted rail operations.

According to an official release issued on July 23, incessant rainfall in the upstream catchment areas caused the Dikhow River to overflow, inundating railway tracks, station yards and adjoining areas in and around Simaluguri under the Tinsukia Division. Water has overtopped the railway tracks, forcing the suspension of train movement between the Simaluguri–Namti Ali and Simaluguri–Selenghat sections until further notice.

NFR said restoration work is underway round-the-clock, with engineering teams and senior railway officials monitoring the situation continuously to restore normal train services at the earliest.

As a result of the disruption, several long-distance trains originating from or bound for Dibrugarh and Tinsukia have been diverted via the Rangiya–Ranapara–North Lakhimpur–Dibrugarh route. These include the Dibrugarh–New Delhi Rajdhani Express, New Tinsukia–SMVT Bengaluru Vivek Express, Avadh Assam Express, Kamrup Express, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express, Kanyakumari Vivek Express and Rajendra Nagar Express on specified dates between July 22 and July 27.

Similarly, trains travelling towards Dibrugarh, including the Howrah–Dibrugarh Kamrup Express, Lokmanya Tilak–Dibrugarh Express, Kanyakumari–Dibrugarh Vivek Express, New Delhi–Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express and Avadh Assam Express, have also been diverted through the alternate route.

The Nagaland Express has been short-terminated and short-originated at Mariani from July 23 to July 27. Consequently, services between Mariani and Dibrugarh will remain cancelled during this period.

Several passenger and intercity services have also been cancelled, including the Jorhat Town–Tinsukia Passenger, Tinsukia–Jorhat Town Passenger, Tinsukia–Lumding DEMU, Guwahati–Ledo Intercity Express, Ledo–Guwahati Intercity Express, Rangiya–New Tinsukia Intercity Express, New Tinsukia–Rangiya Intercity Express, Rangiya–Ledo Intercity Express, Ledo–Rangiya Intercity Express, Simaluguri–Dibrugarh Passenger, Rajendra Nagar–Dibrugarh Express, Amritsar–New Tinsukia Express, and the Silchar–New Tinsukia/New Tinsukia–Silchar Express on various dates.

NFR has advised passengers to check the latest train status before commencing their journey and said restoration efforts are being carried out on a war footing to resume normal operations as soon as conditions permit.