Heavy rain causes landslides on railway line in Bengal’s Murshidabad; train movement halted

Kolkata, Sep 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Landslides occurred on a railway line in Farakka in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Thursday, after which several north-bound trains, including Darjeeling Mail and Kanchanakanya Express, were stopped midway, officials at Eastern Railway said.

In the morning, a landslide took place between Tildanga and New Farakka stations. Several long-distance trains going to New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri in North Bengal came to a halt at various stations.

Among the important express trains affected by the landslide was Darjeeling Mail, which is currently halted at Farakka in Murshidabad district. Railway engineers are operating on a war footing to address the situation.

Efforts are being made to repair the railway tracks and normalise train services at the earliest. However, railway authorities said that for the sake of passengers' safety, trains will be allowed to move on that line only after the repair work is satisfactory.

Due to the landslide on the railway line, long-distance passengers have been greatly inconvenienced. The railway officials and staff are working to ensure passengers on these trains do not face any difficulty. Efforts are on to restore the train services at the earliest.

Railway officials apprehend that due to the landslide issue, many other trains are likely to run late or run behind schedule.

The landslides were caused because of heavy rainfall throughout the state, especially in South Bengal. The Meteorological Department said this continuous rain is occurring due to the formation of a low-pressure zone over the Bay of Bengal.

There is a possibility of heavy showers in Birbhum and Murshidabad districts, the weather department said. The situation may improve somewhat in South Bengal from Friday. However, the rain will continue due to scattered thunderclouds. Thunderstorms may increase again in the southern districts from Monday.

Insiders from the railway department said that fortunately, the landslides and track damage came to the notice of railway gangmen, and hence the trains approaching the area could be stopped in time. Otherwise, the possibilities of a mishap could not be ruled out.

Source: IANS