Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Overflowing floodwaters from the Dikhow River have paralyzed rail networks across Upper Assam. Tracks near Simaluguri Junction now sit underwater, forcing the Northeast Frontier Railway to halt all movement on the Simaluguri to Namtiali and Simaluguri to Selenghat sections. It is a total mess. Engineering, signalling, and operating crews are currently working round the clock to pump out yards and fix mangled embankments.
The NFR bulletin from Tuesday confirms widespread disruption. They have cancelled 18 services, diverted 19 trains, and partially shut down or short-terminated 12 others. Major routes affected include the Rajdhani, Vivek, Kamrup, Nagaland, Arunachal, and Amrit Bharat Express lines. Divisional Railway Manager Parag Katre remains cautiously optimistic about the recovery timeline. "Subject to favourable weather conditions, we are hopeful of restoring normal rail operations within a fortnight," Katre said.
To manage the chaos, the railway deployed road transport for stranded commuters and established help desks at major stations. Commercial officials have also started an expedited refund process for anyone holding a cancelled ticket. Long-distance trains originating from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia are now running via the Rangiya to Rangapara route.
Authorities added two new pairs of special trains to the schedule from July 22 to July 26 to bridge the gap. Train 05911 runs Tinsukia to Bhojo, while 05912 returns to New Tinsukia. Train 05913 travels New Tinsukia to Moranhat, with 05914 heading back to Tinsukia. These join three existing special pairs already operating between Lumding, Rangiya, and Mariani Junction. CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma confirmed that crews cannot fully assess the total infrastructure damage until the flood levels finally drop.
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