Northeast Frontier Railway adds special trains as Assam floods halt service

Guwahati: Northeast Frontier Railway is running two more pairs of special trains to move passengers stranded by severe floods in Upper Assam. Water from the overflowing Dikhow River submerged tracks near Simaluguri Junction, forcing an immediate suspension of rail traffic on the Simaluguri to Namtiali and Simaluguri to Selenghat sections within the Tinsukia Division. Trains are not moving. Authorities halted operations in the interest of safety.

These new services run from July 22 to July 26. Train 05911 departs Tinsukia at 12 noon and reaches Bhojo at 2 pm, while the return, Train 05912, leaves Bhojo at 3 pm and hits New Tinsukia at 4:35 pm. Train 05913 leaves New Tinsukia at 4:45 pm for Moranhat, arriving at 7:30 pm. Its return, Train 05914, departs Moranhat at 8 pm and pulls into Tinsukia at 11 pm.

NF Railway CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma confirmed the suspensions were necessary for operational requirements. Sharma noted that long-distance trains from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia are now diverted via the Rangiya to Rangapara route, while several local services face cancellation or short-termination. The railway had already introduced three pairs of special trains between Lumding and Mariani Junction and between Rangiya and Mariani Junction to handle the transit crisis.

Engineers cannot yet guess when normal service will return. Floodwaters still cover the tracks. Officials stated, "The extent of the damage could only be assessed after the water level recedes, following which restoration work would be planned accordingly."