South Eastern Railway has cancelled 10 pairs of trains scheduled to operate on October 30 after flooding and adverse weather linked to Cyclone Arnab disrupted rail operations in the South Coast Railway zone, affecting connectivity across the Tatanagar, Chakradharpur and adjoining railway sections.
Eight of the cancelled train pairs serve stations in and around Jharkhand and neighbouring areas, including Tatanagar, Chandil, Chakradharpur, Chakulia, Nimdih, Kandra, Gamharia and Rajkharsawan. The cancellations cover express, passenger and MEMU services that connect industrial towns, suburban settlements and major railway junctions in the region.
The affected services are the Tatanagar-Bilaspur Express (18113/18114), Tatanagar-Hatia Express (18601/18602), Rourkela-Tatanagar Express (68043/68044), Jhargram-Purulia MEMU (68023/68024), Kharagpur-Tatanagar MEMU (68013/68014), Asansol-Tatanagar MEMU (68055/68056), Chakradharpur-Rourkela MEMU (68025/68026) and Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express (18005/18006).
Two other train pairs cancelled in the South Coast Railway zone are the Jharsuguda-Sambalpur MEMU (68031/68032) and the Rourkela-Gunupur Express (18117/18118). The cancellations reflect the operational impact of waterlogging in railway divisions outside Jharkhand, while also affecting trains that connect the state to neighbouring regions.
The Howrah-Tiruchchirappalli Superfast Express (12663) will operate on a diverted route on October 30. Instead of its regular route, the service will run via Kharagpur, Tatanagar and Jharsuguda because of waterlogging in the Visakhapatnam division. The diversion could alter the service’s usual routing and station sequence for passengers travelling between eastern and southern India.
The disruption comes as weather conditions worsen across parts of Jharkhand. The Ranchi office of the India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert forecasting thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain at isolated places in Garhwa, Palamu, Pakur, Godda and Sahibganj districts on Friday.
Rainfall recorded on Thursday included 2.2 mm in Ranchi, 20.4 mm in Jamshedpur, 7.6 mm in Daltonganj and 12 mm in Bokaro. The Bano automatic weather station in Simdega recorded 24.5 mm, the highest rainfall reported in the state. The figures indicate that rainfall intensity varied significantly between districts, with southern and western locations recording notable showers.
Temperatures also declined across the state in the preceding 24 hours. Ranchi recorded a maximum of 21.8°C, down 2.4°C, while Jamshedpur recorded 24°C, a fall of 3°C. Daltonganj recorded 22.6°C after a decline of 4.6°C, Bokaro recorded 26.5°C after a fall of 2.6°C, and Chaibasa recorded 26.4°C, down 0.6°C.
The cancelled services and route diversion are scheduled for October 30. South Eastern Railway’s operational changes follow the flooding reported in the South Coast Railway zone, while the IMD alert remains in place for the affected districts of Jharkhand.
