Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Torrential rain triggered severe soil erosion along the Katakhal-Bairabi railway line Thursday evening. A 50-metre stretch between Jamira in Assam and Bairabi in Mizoram collapsed. Train travel stopped cold. The Northeast Frontier Railway immediately sent crews and supplies to fix the damage.
Disruptions rippled through the regional network. The Sairang-Guwahati Express short-terminated at Bairabi and returned to Sairang. Authorities deployed 16 buses to move 900 stranded passengers toward Aizawl. Meanwhile, the Silchar-Bairabi Passenger train ended its run at Jamira, with road transfers set for travelers heading to Bairabi. The Guwahati-Sairang train short-terminated at Hailakandi and remains cancelled between there and Sairang.
Railway officials established helpdesks at Guwahati, Lumding, Naharlagun, Badarpur, and Sairang to assist riders. Passengers can find water and snacks at Jamira, Bairabi, and Sairang stations. The Northeast Frontier Railway stated, "Restoration work on Line 1 is continuing alongside safety measures as train services through the affected section are gradually normalised."
Additional service changes hit the schedule for September 4. The Guwahati-Silchar Express 15615, originally set to depart Friday, is cancelled. The Narangi-Agartala Express 15650 now leaves Narangi at 6.30 pm. The Sairang-Anand Vihar Terminal Express 20507 will depart Sairang at 8.10 pm. Meanwhile, in the Dima Hasao district, crews restored Lines 2 and 3 at the New Harangajao station following track settlement. Trains are moving through that section again while workers prioritize repairs on Line 1.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 10:00pm
Crews are hitting a wall at the damage site. The affected area lacks direct road access, forcing workers to haul every piece of equipment and material to the 70-metre damaged zone, where soil erosion extends 40 metres from the track center.
The service collapse is now a long-term headache. Several trains are axed through mid-September, including the Silchar-Bairabi Express from September 5 to 9 and the Bairabi-Silchar route from September 6 to 10. The Sairang-Guwahati Express remains grounded on September 5, 7, and 9, while the Guwahati-Sairang link stays dark on September 6 and 8. The Silchar-Sairang and Sairang-Silchar services are also scrapped on various dates between September 6 and 10.
Long-distance travel faces a major squeeze. The Sairang-Kolkata Express on September 7, along with the Guwahati-Sairang train on September 5, 7, and 9, will only run to or from Hailakandi. Similar short-terminations hit the Kolkata-Sairang Express on September 5 and the Anand Vihar Terminal-Sairang train on September 6.
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