Eastern Railway Cancels More Trains After Fresh Subsidence Disrupts Farakka Track Work
Fresh Farakka subsidence cancels more trains.
More trains between Kolkata and north Bengal were cancelled on Friday after fresh land subsidence disrupted track repair work at Farakka in Eastern Railway's Malda division, where heavy rain had already damaged the tracks a day earlier, railway officials said. The renewed disruption has significantly complicated efforts to restore normal train services along one of the region's key rail corridors connecting the state capital to its northern districts.
Rajeev Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Eastern Railway's Sealdah division, said that around ten trains originating from Sealdah had been cancelled as of Friday afternoon due to the ongoing repair challenges at the affected site. "Passengers should check the status of their trains before coming to the station. They will get refunds for the tickets," Saxena told the media, urging travelers to verify their train status in advance to avoid unnecessary trips to railway stations amid the disruption.
The cancelled trains span a wide range of key services connecting Kolkata to various parts of north Bengal, including the Kanchanjunga Express, Kanchan Kanya Express, Gour Express, Darjeeling Mail, New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express, New Alipurduar Teesta Torsa Express, Sealdah Agartala Express, Balurghat Express, Padatik Express, Uttar Banga Express, Malda Sahibganj Passenger, and the Kolkata Radhikapur Express. Several of these services were scheduled to depart from Howrah and Sealdah stations on Friday night, meaning the cancellations are likely to disrupt travel plans for a substantial number of passengers heading toward north Bengal over the weekend.
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The disruption originated when heavy rainfall damaged railway tracks at Farakka on Thursday, prompting repair crews to begin restoration work at the site. However, fresh land subsidence subsequently affected the same area, further complicating and delaying the repair efforts and forcing railway authorities to extend cancellations into Friday as engineers worked to stabilize the affected stretch of track before services could safely resume.
Given the scale of the disruption and the number of passengers affected, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari convened an emergency meeting to address the sudden crisis. "Our transport department will run 20 additional buses along the north Bengal route. The district magistrates of Murshidabad and Malda have been asked to distribute food and water among the stranded passengers. We will provide them accommodation in government facilities or private hotels if train services don't resume by tonight," Adhikari said, outlining a multi-pronged state response aimed at supporting passengers left stranded by the cancellations.
The state government's swift mobilization of alternative transport and welfare measures reflects the significant scale of disruption caused by the back-to-back weather-related incidents at Farakka, an area that serves as a critical junction point for rail traffic moving between Kolkata and the northern districts of West Bengal. As repair work continues at the affected site, railway officials are expected to provide further updates on the timeline for restoring normal service, while state authorities continue coordinating relief measures for passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by the ongoing subsidence issue.
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