Guwahati, Jun 24 (PTI) Train services to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam remained suspended for the second day on Tuesday as mud and stones, which had rolled down during ‘improper’ road repair work by NHAI, continued to block tracks in the Lumding–Badarpur hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).
Several trains have been completely or partially cancelled, even as railway teams are working on a war footing under the monitoring of senior officials to restore services, a NFR release said.
"In light of the recent landslide incident that led to the disruption of train services in the Lumding–Badarpur hill section, continuous efforts are underway by the railways and state authorities for early restoration," it said.
Top officials of NFR, state government, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and other agencies met to review the situation and formulate immediate solutions.
NFR is working round-the-clock by deploying heavy machinery, equipment and manpower at the site to clear debris and restore the track at the earliest, the release said.
Around 50,000 cubic metres of mud and stones had come towards the railway retaining wall. At least 30,000 cubic metres still needs to be cleared so that work on the tracks can begin, officials said.
"Railway teams are working on a war-footing and senior railway officials from Lumding division and headquarters are camping at the site to monitor and coordinate restoration efforts," the release added.
Train operations had to be suspended to ensure the safety of passengers and railway assets.
Until restoration is completed, it has been decided to cancel/partial cancel certain trains, it said.
Passengers have been asked to check for the latest updates on train services on official railway websites, helplines and social media handles.
Among the trains cancelled are Agartala - SMVB (Bengaluru) Express, Silchar-New Delhi Express, Rangiya–Silchar Express, Guwahati–Silchar Express, Guwahati–Badarpur-Guwahati Tourist Express, New Delhi-Guwahati PSK Express, and SMVT Bengaluru-Agartala Humsafar Express on various dates.
The Deoghar–Agartala Express, Sealdah–Sabroom Kanchanjunga Express, Silchar–Coimbatore Express, Silchar–Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express, and Agartala–Kolkata Garib Rath Express have been partially cancelled between different points.
An NFR bulletin had said on Monday that the train services had to be suspended from evening as tracks were rendered unsafe owing to "improper" road repair work by NHAI in the area.
"On account of boulders along with land mass falling over the railway track in the New Haflong-Jatinga Lampur section owing to improper construction work being undertaken by the NHAI for repairing of road, train services over the Lumding-Badarpur hill section had to be suspended from evening hours of today in order to ensure safety of railway passengers," it said.