Railway services between North and South Bengal have come to a complete standstill following a major disaster near New Farakka Rail Station. Within 24 hours of an initial collapse, a second, massive landslide hit the location, destroying hopes of restoring train traffic anytime soon.

Fresh Collapse Escalates Emergency

Repair crews had been working continuously since early Thursday morning to restore the damaged tracks. However, on Friday morning, the situation worsened drastically when a new 15-meter-deep landslide occurred just a short distance from the original collapse site on the Up line.

Rising water levels in the adjacent roadside ditch (nayanjuli) have severely saturated the soil underneath the tracks. Consequently, the ground continues to sink, causing the railway tracks to cave in and bending heavy electrical support poles. Railway officials acknowledged that the situation has degraded significantly, forcing them to drop plans to partially resume train operations by Friday evening.

The Previous Day’s Incident

The crisis originally began early Thursday morning when a sudden landslide washed away the ground underneath the railway lines near New Farakka Station. The initial soil erosion destabilized the tracks and rendered the primary route connecting South Bengal with North Bengal completely unsafe, halting all movement. Emergency repair work was immediately launched on Thursday morning, but continuous soil erosion and rising water levels severely undermined those initial efforts.

Bad Weather Threatens Recovery Efforts

The ongoing crisis is likely to worsen as the Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain in Murshidabad district for Friday and Saturday. Active monsoon conditions driven by a cyclonic circulation and trough threaten both Murshidabad and neighboring Birbhum. Railway authorities fear that additional rainfall will further soften the ground and slow down track stabilization efforts.

Major Trains Cancelled

With the vital transport corridor blocked, railway authorities have cancelled several major long-distance and express trains. Key cancelled services include:

12345 Howrah – Guwahati Saraighat Express

13147 Sealdah – Bamanhat Uttarbanga Express

13149 Sealdah – Alipurduar Kanchankanya Express

13163 Sealdah – Saharsa Hate Bazare Express

13153 Sealdah – Malda Town Gour Express

12343 Sealdah – New Alipurduar Darjeeling Mail

13189 Sealdah – Balurghat Express

12377 Sealdah – New Alipurduar Padatik Express

13115 Sealdah – Jalpaiguri Road Humsafar Express

13145 Kolkata – Radhikapur Express

13159 Kolkata – Jogbani Express

15961 Howrah – Dibrugarh Kamrup Express

27575 Howrah – Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express

13033 Howrah – Katihar Express

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