Haflong access restored: Diversion route opens for LMVs; rail link to resume from Sunday

In a major relief to commuters and residents, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed improvements on a diversion route along the under-construction greenfield four-lane alignment near Haflong.

Starting tomorrow, light motor vehicles (LMVs) and ambulances will be allowed to use this newly developed alternative route, easing the travel bottleneck caused by recent landslides and ongoing infrastructure work in the region. 

A joint inspection by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) was scheduled for 12:30 PM today to assess the route’s readiness and safety.

Simultaneously, rail connectivity in the region is set to be partially restored on Sunday, June 29. The affected section lies between KM 108/6-8 via Jatinga Lumpur–New Haflong in the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section of the Lumding division.

According to railway officials, limited train operations are scheduled between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM tomorrow. Full-fledged services are expected to resume from Monday, with goods trains carrying petroleum products and food grains to Tripura and Barak Valley prioritised.

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A POL wagon stranded in Guwahati and destined for Dharmanagar, Tripura will also be dispatched immediately after clearance of the track.

As part of the restoration, Train No. 13175 Sealdah–Silchar Kanchenjunga Express, which began its journey on June 28, will be the first passenger train to run on the restored section. Following that, Train No. 13174 Sabroom–Sealdah Kanchenjunga Express, starting on June 29, will also resume its original route. To aid stranded passengers, a special train will run from Rangiya to Agartala on June 29.

It is to be noted that the section had been severely impacted by multiple earth slips triggered by heavy rainfall, disrupting both passenger and freight movement. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava personally visited the affected site to review progress, assess ground realities, and motivate on-ground teams. He instructed deployment of maximum manpower and machinery to speed up the restoration process and ensure early resumption of operations on this vital hill section.

The swift and coordinated road and rail recovery efforts are being seen as critical steps in restoring connectivity and normalcy across Dima Hasao and the adjoining regions.