Cyclone Dana: Several trains cancelled, delayed due to storm | Check details
Cyclone Dana: The Eastern Railway will suspend operations for 190 local trains in its Sealdah division from 8 pm on Thursday until 10 am on Friday.
Several train services across eastern India have been disrupted or cancelled due to ‘cyclone Dana’, which is expected to make landfall early Friday between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port, approximately 70 km apart in Odisha. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicates that the maximum wind speed during landfall could reach around 120 kilometres per hour.
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw convened a meeting on Wednesday with senior officials from the Railway Board, as well as the East Coast and South Eastern zones, to assess their readiness to mitigate the effects of cyclone 'Dana' on railway services.
The storm is also anticipated to affect West Bengal, with the weather department predicting heavy rainfall in coastal districts, particularly in Kolkata and nearby areas, which may experience heavy to very heavy downpours.
Follow live updates on Cyclone Dana
In preparation for cyclone Dana, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed a total of 56 teams across five states, including Odisha and West Bengal, as the cyclone approaches landfall. Additionally, the NDRF has sent nine teams each to Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, while one team is stationed in Chhattisgarh, as these states may also experience heavy rainfall and flooding following the cyclone's landfall late Thursday into Friday.
Here's how the train services are affected
- In a precautionary measure intended to ensure passenger safety, the Eastern Railway will suspend operations for 190 local trains in its Sealdah division from 8 pm on Thursday until 10 am on Friday due to the approaching cyclonic storm ‘Dana’, PTI reported quoting an official. According to the Eastern Railway official, the cancelled trains are located in the Sealdah South and Hasnabad sections.
- The cancellations include 13 up and 11 down trains in the Sealdah-Canning section, 15 up and 10 down trains in the Sealdah-Lakshmikantapur section, 15 up and 14 down trains in the Sealdah-Budge Budge section, 15 up and 15 down trains in the Sealdah-Diamond Harbour section, 7 up and 9 locals in the Sealdah-Baruipur section, and 11 up and 9 down locals in the Sealdah-Barasat/Hasnabad section.
- The official further said that the last trains from Hasnabad and Namkhana stations, located near the coastal areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts, will leave for Sealdah by 7 pm on October 24.
- Metro Railway authorities confirmed they are implementing necessary measures to maintain normal services and ensure the safety and security of commuters.
- Fourteen trains travelling through the South East Central Railway (SECR) zone have been cancelled due to cyclonic storm 'Dana', according to an official on Wednesday.
- On Tuesday, the South Eastern Railway announced the cancellation of over 150 express and passenger trains operating within its jurisdiction due to the cyclone. The East Coast Railways also reported the cancellation of 198 trains that either originate from or pass through Odisha.
- A railways public relations officer was quoted as saying by PTI that the LTT-Puri Express, Durg-Puri Express, Brahmapur-Surat Express, Puri-Durg Express, Puri-Ajmer Express, Puri-Ahmedabad Express, and Puri-Rishikesh Express will be cancelled on Thursday.
- The Visakhapatnam-Amritsar Hirakud Express and Puri-Nizamuddin Express will also be cancelled on October 25, while the Rishikesh-Puri Utkal Express and Surat-Brahmapur Express were cancelled on October 23.
- Additional cancellations include the Gandhidham-Puri Express on October 22, Ajmer-Puri Express on October 29, and Ahmedabad-Puri Express on October 26.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)