GUWAHATI: Northeast Frontier Railway has suspended as many as four trains due to landslides and tunnel washouts in Assam’s Lumding-Badarpur hill section this morning, snapping rail connectivity to Tripura and parts of Assam’s Barak valley.
In Barak valley bordering Bangladesh where the flood situation has worsened on Thursday, the state inland water transport (IWT) department has also suspended all ferry services due to rising water level of all the rivers.
IWT director Bharat Bhushan Dev Choudhury told media that water level is rising under Guwahati division and situation is under close watch.
“As of now ferry services are unaffected. However at Barak valley more than 30,000 ferry passengers have been affected,” the director said.
NF Railways chief PRO PJ Sharma said landslides in as many as five places in Lumding – Badarpur hill section owing to heavy rain in that area has affected the normal train running in that section.
“All the landslides have occurred between 1.30 am and 3.30 am today. As a result, train running over that section has been suspended,” the CPRO said.
The affected trains are 55616 Guwahati – Silchar Fast passenger, which is controlled at Lumding from 05.17 am, 25657 Sealdah – Silchar Kanchanjungha Express to be controlled at Lumding, Silchar – Guwahati Fast passenger which has been cancelled and 15658 Agartala – Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express which will be controlled at Badarpur.
“There is no passenger train stranded within the affected section. Although the extent of damage is yet to be fully ascertained, resotoration work has already started in all affected locations. Divisional Railway Manager, Lumding is already at site monitoring the situation. Work is going on to restart the train services as early as possible” the NFR CPRO said.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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