Soil Subsidence Near New Farakka Cancellels 14 Trains In West Bengal
· India · Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Hindu
Heavy rain triggered soil subsidence beneath a 20-metre stretch of tracks about 100 metres from New Farakka station toward Barharwa around 2.30 am on Wednesday, severing rail connectivity between South and North Bengal. Patrolling gangmen spotted the ground sinking several feet and immediately alerted the station manager, after which movement on the Up line was suspended. Eastern Railway has cancelled 14 trains, with around 150 workers and senior engineers carrying out restoration on a war footing using stone chips and ballast transported from Jharkhand by freight trains. Limited services resumed on the Down line by Thursday afternoon, but most services remained cancelled on Friday for passenger safety. Eastern Railway CPRO Shivram Majhi said full normalisation of the Up line could take another day or two, pending safety certification, after a secondary landslip on Thursday night caused an overhead electric pole to tilt.
Why it matters
Tens of thousands of passengers travelling between Kolkata, the rest of South Bengal, and North Bengal districts are stranded or facing cancellations, with freight and mail services on a key trunk route also disrupted until engineers certify the stretch safe.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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