Guwahati: Floods in upper Assam disrupted train services, forcing diversions, cancellations and passenger evacuations.Floodwater overtopped tracks at Simaluguri in Sivasagar district, forcing Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to suspend train movement on affected sections. More than 2,000 passengers were evacuated and moved by road.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat are the worst-affected districts so far.NFR chief public relations officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said in a statement, “Due to incessant heavy rainfall in the upstream catchment areas, the Dikhow river has been overflowing, leading to severe flooding in and around Simaluguri town in Sivasagar district under Tinsukia Division of NFR. The floodwaters have inundated the Simaluguri station yard, railway tracks, railway colony and adjoining areas.”He said floodwater also overtopped tracks in the Simaluguri section. “In view of passenger safety and operational requirements, train movement between the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections has been suspended until further notice,” he added.Six long-distance trains originating from or bound for Dibrugarh and Tinsukia have been diverted via the Rangiya-Rangapara-Dibrugarh route. Nine local passenger trains have been cancelled, while 10 trains have been short-terminated or short-originated at Namtiali, Selenghat, Mariani Junction and Furkating Junction, among other stations.NFR said food packets, drinking water and ticket refunds were being arranged, and help desks had been set up at all stations. ASTC buses and local vehicles have been deployed at Namtiali to take passengers to Sivasagar Town station, from where a special train is planned for Dibrugarh and New Tinsukia.A one-way special train from Mariani was scheduled to leave at 8 pm on July 20 for Dibrugarh, with stops at all stations on the route. Another special train will run between Rangiya and Mariani Junction from Tuesday to Friday, stopping at 17 stations, including Changsari, Kamakhya, Guwahati, Lumding, Dimapur, Furkating and Titabar.The Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express commencing journey on July 19 was diverted via New Tinsukia-Dibrugarh-North Lakhimpur-Rangapara North-Guwahati, while the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express commencing journey on July 19 was diverted via Moran Hat-Dhamalgaon-North Lakhimpur-Rangapara North-Guwahati. On the other hand, the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express commencing journey on July 19 was diverted via New Tinsukia-Dibrugarh-North Lakhimpur-Rangapara North-Rangiya-New Bongaigaon, while the Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express and Dibrugarh-Lalgarh Avadh Assam Express commencing journey on July 20 were diverted via Dibrugarh-North Lakhimpur-Rangapara North-Rangiya-New Bongaigaon. The Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Dibrugarh Express commencing journey on July 18 was diverted via New Bongaigaon-Rangiya-Ranapara North-North Lakhimpur-Dibrugarh, while Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express commencing journey on July 17 was diverted via New Bongaigaon-Rangiya-Ranapara North-North Lakhimpur-Dibrugarh.
