Have train services in NE fully recovered after the 5-day disruption?

Guwahati, July 11 (NationPress) Following a five-day interruption caused by landslides, train services connecting south Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram with the rest of the nation via Guwahati have partially resumed as of Friday, according to officials.

The Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, announced that the Agartala-SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express and a special train from Silchar to Guwahati are now operational to assist stranded passengers. He mentioned that the train operations in the Lumding-Badarpur Hill section faced disruptions due to significant amounts of earth, muck, and boulders falling from the surrounding hills onto the railway tracks between Mupa and Dihakho stations of the Lumding Division.

Train movements on this section are being regulated due to ongoing restoration efforts in Dima Hasao district of Assam. While efforts to clear the landslides and restore the railway tracks are ongoing at a rapid pace, railway officials have not confirmed when normal services will be fully reinstated.

The NFR CPRO confirmed that operations on the single-line railway track have been halted until the complete removal of debris to prioritize safety. Senior engineers and officials from the Northeast Frontier Railway are constantly monitoring the progress of the restoration work, supplemented by ample machinery and manpower for the swift reinstatement of train services.

Help desks have been established at Guwahati, Lumding, Silchar, Badarpur, and Agartala stations to assist passengers. Since June 23, the railway network in southern Assam, including the districts of Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi, along with Dima Hasao district, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram, has been severed from the rest of the country for the third time due to landslides.

After a week of disruption in the same Lumding-Badarpur hill section, regular train services between Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and the rest of the country via Guwahati completely resumed on June 30. Significant disruptions were reported in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section since June 23, following landslides that affected the railway tracks in these mountainous regions.

After a brief disruption due to landslides, normal train services in the area resumed on July 4. Throughout the monsoon season, from June to September, several northeastern states, particularly Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and southern Assam, often experience prolonged isolation from the rest of the country due to landslides, waterlogging, and damage to railway infrastructure, causing immense challenges for local residents.