Kolkata train services remained disrupted for a second consecutive day after a pipeline breach flooded railway tracks near Kolkata station, delaying long-distance trains, diverting suburban services and forcing the suspension of Circular Railway operations through Wednesday.
Railway officials said nine pumps, each with a capacity of 15 horsepower, were deployed to drain the water. However, the tracks had not fully dried by Tuesday, leaving services affected in the area around Kolkata station and the Tala section.
The Kolkata-Amritsar Express, scheduled to depart at 12.10 pm, eventually left at 2.50 pm. The Kolkata-Jammu Tawi Express was due to leave at 11.45 am but departed at 1.15 pm, according to the report. Railway officials said water remained on parts of the track even after the bulk of the flooding had been removed.
The disruption also affected passengers transferring between suburban and long-distance services. Several people carrying luggage were seen walking along the tracks to reach Kolkata station after Circular Railway services were suspended. Bhupen Yadav, travelling with his family, said they had planned to take a Circular train from Bagbazar but had to walk after learning that the service was unavailable. Another passenger, Bapi Mandal, said he walked from Bagbazar to catch a train towards Ranaghat.
At Tala station, booking counter operations were closed, although staff remained inside to inform commuters about the disruption. Suburban services in the Sealdah South section also skipped some stations on their regular route because of the waterlogged stretch.
A railway official said trains usually travelling from Dum Dum to Majerhat through Tala were being rerouted along a chord line via Kankurgachhi. From there, they were travelling towards Ballygunge before continuing to Majerhat. The diversion changed the normal route of services and reduced direct access to stations along the affected section.
Circular Railway services were fully suspended. Railway officials said the service had already been scheduled to stop at 4 pm and resume at 5 am the next morning because of Kali Puja immersion arrangements. That schedule had been announced before the pipeline leak, but services operating before 4 pm were suspended after the breach caused flooding.
The incident shows how a failure in an urban utility network can quickly disrupt multiple layers of Kolkata’s transport system. The immediate impact extended beyond the flooded track to station access, passenger transfers and the movement of trains on the Sealdah South route. Railway teams continued pumping operations, while Circular Railway services were scheduled to remain unavailable on Wednesday.
