Earlier the passengers and families of Simaluguri and the neighboring areas of Sivasagar district in Assam had suffered loss due to disruption of rail connectivity for days in a row as flooding ravaged the railway tracks. However, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has now restored rail connectivity in the flood-hit areas.
NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava visited the reconditioned railway parts, such as the track, bridges and other structures, to examine the reconditioning work. On the visit, officials observed that a lot of families and their livestock and possessions were still in shelters on or near railway tracks, which had been hit by the flood.
To ensure passenger safety, the railway authorities have decided to run only Diesel engine/Trains on the revived line initially. The move has come as officials saw it as the best way to reduce the danger of electrocution until flooding has subsided and flood victims are back in their homes. Electric train services will resume only after the situation returns to normal.
The local train service has been made diverted through Moranhat and long distance trains will continue their journey on the diverted North Lakhimpur-Rangapara North-Rangiya route for the time being. The railway has also issued special trains to facilitate uninterrupted movement of passengers coming from and going to the Upper Assam during the shutdown period.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, meanwhile, announced that direct train services from Guwahati to Dibrugarh were now resumed from the Selenghat-Amguri-Simaluguri-Sivasagar Town railway section after being shut down for a while. He expressed his gratitude to the Union Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Northeast Frontier Railway for their initiatives in the rehabilitation of the important railway connectivity link between the North East region and the rest of the country in Upper Assam.