Are Railway Services in NE Being Restored Amid Landslides?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is operating special trains for stranded passengers.
- Landslide clearance efforts continue in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section.
- Regular train services have been disrupted since June 23 due to landslides.
- Safety measures are prioritized with operations suspended until debris clearance.
- Help desks are available at major stations to assist passengers.
Guwahati, July 10 (NationPress) While the restoration of Railway services connecting Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and the rest of India is still in progress, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has initiated two special train services to assist stranded passengers, as reported by officials.
NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma announced that to manage the surge in passenger numbers, special one-way trains from Silchar to Guwahati and from Guwahati to Agartala will be operational.
Although efforts to clear the landslides and restore railway tracks are ongoing at a rapid pace, Railway officials have yet to provide a timeline for when standard train services will resume in the affected areas.
Trains in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section were halted on Monday due to significant debris from mud and boulders cascading from surrounding hills onto the railway track between Mupa and Dihakho stations in Assam’s Dima Hasao district.
Operations on the single-line track will remain suspended until all debris is completely cleared to ensure safety, he stated.
Sharma further mentioned that senior engineers and NFR officials are closely monitoring the restoration efforts on-site, with sufficient machinery and manpower deployed for the prompt resumption of train services.
Help desks have been established at Guwahati, Lumding, Silchar, Badarpur, and Agartala stations to assist passengers.
Since June 23, the railway networks of Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram have been disconnected from the national network for the third time due to landslides.
Following a week of disruption caused by landslides in the same Lumding-Badarpur hill section, regular train services between these northeastern states and the rest of India resumed fully on June 30.
Essential train services in this area have been interrupted since June 23 when landslides obstructed the railway track in Assam's mountainous Dima Hasao district.
After a brief interruption due to landslides, normal train operations in the region resumed on July 4.
During the monsoon season from June to September, several northeastern states, particularly Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam, frequently experience extended disconnections from the rest of the country due to landslides, waterlogging, and damage to railway infrastructure, resulting in significant hardship for local residents.