Silchar–Guwahati Trains Cancelled as Landslide Hits Hill Section Again

Rail services through the Lumding–Badarpur hill section have once again been badly hit due to a fresh landslide that struck between Dihakho and Mupa stations late on Sunday night (July 6). The incident occurred at the 50/2 km mark and caused major disruption of train movement through the Dima Hasao hills in Assam.

Following Sunday night’s landslide, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) issued a notice announcing several partial and full cancellations as well as rescheduling of trains for July 7 and the days ahead.

Partial Cancellations:

• 15615 Guwahati–Silchar Express (GHY–SCL) was short-terminated at Hatikhali (HTL).
• 15616 Silchar–Guwahati Express (SCL–GHY) was terminated at Badarpur (BPB).
• 15612 Silchar–Rangiya Express (SCL–RNY) stopped at New Haflong (NHLG).
• 15618 Dullabcherra–Guwahati Express (DLCR–GHY) was halted at New Haflong Junction (NHGJ).
• 12513 Guwahati–Silchar Express was cancelled between Guwahati and Silchar.
• 12501 Kolkata (KOAA)–Agartala Express (AGTL) terminated at Guwahati.

Full Cancellations:

Trains completely cancelled on July 7 and 8 include:

• 15611 Rangiya–Silchar Express
• 15612 Silchar–Rangiya Express
• 15615 Guwahati–Silchar Express
• 15616 Silchar–Guwahati Express
• 15617 Guwahati–Dullabcherra Express
• 15618 Dullabcherra–Guwahati Express
• 05638 Silchar–Naharlagun Express
• 05637 Naharlagun–Silchar Express

Rescheduled Trains:

• 13176 Silchar–Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express will depart at 15:00 instead of 11:35 hrs.
• 14037 Silchar–Anand Vihar Express will now leave at 06:00 hrs on 8 July instead of 19:30 hrs on 7 July.
• 20501 Agartala–Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express will leave at 06:00 hrs on 8 July instead of 15:20 hrs on 7 July.

In response to the disruption, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has arranged food for stranded passengers and set up help desks at key stations, including Kamakhya, Guwahati, Lumding, New Haflong, Badarpur, Silchar, and Agartala to assist travellers.

What was once a seasonal problem during the monsoon has now become an almost daily crisis. This is the third major landslide to hit the Lumding–Silchar railway line since 23 June. That earlier incident between Jatinga Lampur and New Haflong (at 108/7–8 km) had already kept the line closed for seven days. Services resumed on 30 June, but were again stopped on July 3, after another landslide near Mupa.

The hill section is extremely vulnerable to heavy rainfall, and continuous downpours have made it prone to frequent mudslides and falling boulders. On 5 July, train movements were once again disturbed by fresh mudslides in the same area.

According to railway sources, the situation worsened when the Rangiya–Silchar Express, already running nearly 10 hours late on Sunday, was allegedly abandoned by the loco pilot near Maibang station.

While track clearance work is reportedly underway, the frequent nature of these landslides raises serious concerns over the absence of a long-term solution. This vulnerable hill section is not just vital for Barak Valley, but also serves as a critical rail link for neighbouring states like Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur.