Train services on Mizoram’s Bairabi-Sairang railway line were temporarily disrupted after heavy rain led to waterlogging and muck overflow along parts of the track, railway officials said on October 1.
The disruption was reported mainly between Kawnpui and Mualkhang, prompting the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to suspend and modify several services as a precautionary measure.
NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the disruption was temporary and that 20 buses had been deployed at Bairabi to carry passengers from affected trains to Sairang or Aizawl.
Four trains were short-terminated on September 30. The Silchar-Sairang and Kolkata-Sairang services were terminated at Bairabi near the Assam border, while the Sairang-Kolkata and Guwahati-Sairang trains were terminated at Hailakandi in Assam.
The Sairang-Guwahati Express scheduled for September 30 and the Sairang-Silchar Express scheduled for October 1 were also cancelled. The Sairang-Kolkata Express scheduled for October 1 was instead scheduled to originate from Hailakandi.
Passengers travelling on the affected Kolkata-Sairang and Silchar-Sairang services were transported by buses on September 30.
Officials said no landslide or track subsidence had been reported along the railway line and expressed hope that train services would resume soon.
Heavy rainfall since the evening of September 30 also affected several parts of Mizoram, including Aizawl, triggering landslides and rockfalls at multiple locations. No casualties had been reported in these incidents as of October 1.
The Aizawl Meteorological Centre said Mamit recorded the highest rainfall in the state during the preceding 24 hours at 69.6 mm, followed by Siaha at 46.5 mm and Tlabung in Lunglei district at 39 mm. Aizawl received 12.2 mm during the same period.
The weather office forecast moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning in parts of Mamit, Kolasib, Lunglei and Aizawl districts on Thursday. Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and lightning was also forecast in parts of Saitual, Serchhip, Khawzawl, Champhai, Hnahthial, Siaha and Lawngtlai districts.
The 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway line, with Sairang station located around 21 km from Aizawl, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 13, 2025. Built at a cost of more than Rs 8,000 crore, the line connected Mizoram to the national railway network for the first time.
