The northeastern states of Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and parts of Assam have been severed from the rest of India as relentless rains and landslides, triggered by Cyclone Remal, inundated and damaged railway tracks.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the severe weather has left the railway network crippled, particularly impacting the New Haflong-Bandarkhal section under the Lumding division in southern Assam's Dima Hasao district.
A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson reported that the railway tracks were submerged or damaged in at least ten locations within this critical connecting route to south Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram.
"Our engineers and workers are working around the clock to restore rail services, but the heavy rain and adverse weather conditions are severely hindering the restoration efforts," the official stated.
The incessant downpour has made it impossible to commence full-scale repairs, with NFR cancelling numerous express, passenger, and goods trains since Tuesday.
The railway network in the region has been compromised since April 25, when heavy landslides following intense rainfall damaged the tracks in the Jatinga Lumpur-New Harangajao section under the Lumding division, further complicating the situation.
In light of the precarious conditions, NFR has restricted the operation of a limited number of trains during the daytime on the hilly routes and has been regulating long-distance and express trains.
The NFR has announced the cancellation of several key trains due to the severe flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Remal.
The affected services include the Guwahati-Dullabcherra Express, Rangiya-Silchar Express, Guwahati-Agartala special train, Guwahati-Silchar Express, Silchar-Secunderabad Express, and the Lokmanya Express, which connects Agartala and Mumbai.
In a bid to assist stranded passengers, NFR will operate a one-way special train from Guwahati to Sealdah on May 30.
However, many other services have also been partially cancelled, including the Coimbatore-Silchar Express, Tripurasundari Express (linking Agartala with Firozpur Cantonment station in Punjab), Kanchanjungha Express (connecting Sealdah in West Bengal and Agartala), Silchar-Guwahati Express, and the Agartala-Kolkata special express.
These disruptions span various parts of Assam, primarily due to landslides and waterlogging.
The NFR spokesperson indicated that the disruptions are exacerbated by nearby rivers flowing above danger levels. Although workers have been deployed to restore railway services, the adverse conditions have delayed full-fledged repair efforts.
This disruption has led to significant shortages of transport fuel, including petrol and diesel, and other essential goods in the affected states.
Highway connectivity has also been adversely impacted, exacerbating the crisis as these states rely heavily on external supplies for fuel, food grains, and other commodities.
The unyielding weather has left a trail of destruction and disconnection, with the restoration of rail services contingent on the cessation of rain.
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