Guwahati: Rail services across parts of Upper Assam were disrupted on Monday after floodwaters from the overflowing Dikhow River submerged railway tracks and station facilities at Simaluguri in Sivasagar district, prompting the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to suspend operations on key sections.
According to the NFR, persistent heavy rainfall in the upstream catchment areas caused the Dikhow River to overflow, inundating large parts of Simaluguri town. The flooding affected the railway station yard, railway colony and track infrastructure, making train movement unsafe.
As a result, services on the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections have been suspended until further notice. To minimise disruption, long-distance trains originating from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia are being diverted through the Rangiya-Rangapara route.
Several local passenger trains have also been cancelled or terminated before reaching their destinations. Railway authorities said engineering teams, along with repair equipment and materials, have been deployed to the affected locations.
Restoration work will begin once floodwaters recede and the tracks can be inspected safely. Officials said the situation is under constant monitoring, but it is too early to estimate when normal train services will resume. “The exact extent of damage to the railway tracks can only be assessed after the floodwaters recede,” the NFR said in a statement.
The disruption comes as widespread flooding continues to impact several districts of Assam, with rising river levels affecting transport infrastructure and daily life across the state