Guwahati | The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has stepped up restoration efforts across flood-affected rail sections in Assam after heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides disrupted train services in Upper Assam and the Lumding-Badarpur hill section.

According to NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, restoration work is being carried out on a war footing in the Tinsukia Division, where railway embankments and track formations have suffered extensive damage due to incessant rain.

More than 700 labourers, supported by heavy machinery including Poclains and JCB excavators, have been deployed across affected locations. Railway teams are continuously transporting ballast, boulders, sandbags, stone dust and rails to reinforce damaged formations and restore normal operations at the earliest.

Between Simalguri and Lakwa, engineers are undertaking cess protection and strengthening works, with ballast rakes positioned at the site and boulders being unloaded to stabilise the damaged embankments. Restoration is also in progress on the Simalguri-Namtiali stretch, where railway personnel are reinforcing the track formation with stone dust and boulders to facilitate the reopening of the route.

In the Amguri-Selenghat section, teams are using sandbags, bamboo piling and rail piling to strengthen vulnerable portions of the track, while similar protection measures are underway between Simalguri and Sibsagar Town, supported by continuous ballast mobilisation.

Senior officials of the Tinsukia Division are closely monitoring the restoration work to ensure coordinated deployment of resources and strict adherence to safety standards.

Meanwhile, train operations on the strategically important Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section under the Lumding Division remain restricted after railway tracks on Lines 1 and 2 near New Harangajao station in Dima Hasao district settled due to heavy rainfall.

At present, all train movements are being routed through Line 3 under enhanced safety monitoring. As a precaution, train services through the affected stretch have been suspended during night hours from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., while daytime operations continue under regulated conditions with continuous monitoring.

The restrictions have led to the cancellation, rescheduling and regulation of several trains operating on the Lumding-Badarpur route. Railway engineers and maintenance teams continue to work round the clock to restore the affected tracks, with NFR expressing confidence that normal services will resume once safety and operational standards are fully met.

Officials noted that the Lumding-Badarpur hill section, located in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, is particularly vulnerable during the monsoon months from June to September, when landslides, soil erosion and waterlogging frequently damage railway infrastructure.

Disruptions on this corridor often affect rail connectivity to several northeastern states, including Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, besides parts of southern Assam, impacting passenger travel and the movement of essential commodities.

The restoration drive comes as Assam continues to battle a severe flood situation. According to the latest official figures, floods have affected 10 districts and around 810 villages, with nearly 1.15 lakh people taking shelter in relief camps. The flood-related death toll has crossed 62, while Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat remain among the worst-hit districts. The Dikhou, Disang and Dhansiri rivers continue to flow above the danger level, further worsening the flood situation.