Silchar/Aizawl: Heavy rain triggered severe soil erosion beneath the Katakhal-Bairabi railway line on Thursday evening, damaging nearly 70 metres of track and disrupting Mizoram’s only rail link with the rest of the country.The affected stretch lies between Jamira in Assam and Bairabi in Mizoram. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has cancelled or short-terminated several trains, while restoration work has begun on a priority basis.An initial assessment had put the damage at around 50 metres, but a subsequent inspection found that nearly 70 metres of track had been affected. Erosion has extended up to 40 metres from the track centre.The NFR has set a tentative target of about a week to restore the line, but officials said the timeline would depend on weather conditions and access to the site.“There is no direct road access to the affected site, posing additional challenges for restoration activities,” NFR chief public relations officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said.The nearest motorable road is located far from the damaged stretch. Roads in the region have also been hit by heavy rain, flooding and landslides, making it difficult to move workers, machinery and restoration materials.“Access to the affected site with men, machinery and materials is extremely difficult as the nearest motorable road is far away. Roads in the area have also been affected by heavy rain, flooding and landslides.”Train services to and from Sairang, the railhead serving Aizawl, have been disrupted since Thursday. The 15610 Sairang-Guwahati Express was short-terminated at Bairabi, affecting around 900 passengers. The NFR deployed 16 buses to ferry passengers from Sairang to Aizawl.The 55667 Silchar-Bairabi Passenger was short-terminated at Jamira, while the 15609 Guwahati-Sairang Express was short-terminated at Hailakandi.Following the fresh assessment, the NFR cancelled the Guwahati-Sairang Express, Silchar-Bairabi Express and Sairang-Kolkata Express scheduled to commence on Friday.Bairabi-Silchar and Silchar-Sairang services were cancelled for Friday and Saturday. The Sairang-Silchar Express scheduled for Saturday was also cancelled.The Sairang-Guwahati and Sairang-Anand Vihar Terminal Expresses were short-originated from Hailakandi on Friday.The railway has arranged drinking water and light refreshments at Jamira, Bairabi and Sairang stations. Helpdesks have been opened at Guwahati, Lumding, Naharlagun, Badarpur and Sairang.Railway personnel and materials have been mobilised for restoration work, which is continuing round the clock. Officials are assessing the condition of the damaged track formation, but the reopening of the route will depend on weather conditions and the movement of equipment to the site.The disruption comes barely a year after the route providing rail connectivity to Mizoram was opened in September last year.
