Train services resume in Northeast after week-long disruption

Train services connecting Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram with the rest of India via Guwahati resumed fully on Monday, following a week-long disruption caused by landslides in Assam's Dima Hasao district.

Services in the crucial Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section had been suspended since June 23 after heavy rains triggered multiple landslides, severely damaging railway tracks in the mountainous Jatinga Lampur area.

Officials from the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) confirmed that both passenger and freight trains are now running normally across the affected section. 

Partial restoration began on Sunday, and full operations were resumed after extensive repair work.

“Our engineers and staff are closely monitoring the situation, especially given the ongoing monsoon season,” said an NFR official. “We’re keeping a watch over the entire Lumding division, which is particularly vulnerable during this period.”

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the Lumpur–New Haflong stretch was the worst hit, with multiple earth slips halting all rail movement. NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava visited the site to oversee the restoration work and motivate teams on the ground.

Under his leadership, a large workforce and heavy machinery were deployed around the clock to clear debris and repair the track.

Many trains had been cancelled, diverted, or short-terminated due to the disruption. The NFR thanked passengers and the public for their patience and urged everyone to follow official channels for updates on train schedules.

Monsoon-induced disruptions are a recurring issue in the Northeast, often cutting off states like Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and parts of southern Assam for days or even weeks due to landslides and waterlogging.