Tatanagar-Howrah Steel Express to remain cancelled for nine days

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, June 13: Commuters in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and other states are set to face significant disruptions as the Railway has announced the cancellation of 13 pairs of trains, including the Steel Express, originating from or passing through Tatanagar for nine days. This measure is due to the addition of a new link line between Santragachhi and Sankrail stations in West Bengal, which will result in a line block from June 22 to July 1.

The line block will affect the operation of more than 150 trains, including those running on routes such as Jan Shatabdi, Ispat, Ranchi Intercity, Gyaneshwari, Udaipur, Mumbai, Sambalpur, Pune, Kamakhya, Titlagarh, Rourkela, Badam Pahar, Titlagarh, Porbandar, and others connecting Tatanagar with Howrah, Santragachhi, and Shalimar.

According to railway officials, more than 250 trains will face disruptions during the line block period. In addition to the cancellation of 32 pairs of long-distance trains on the Odisha and Bengal routes, the railway has also planned to run 11 trains on alternate routes, change the timings of eight trains, and reduce the operating distance of some services.

The line block is necessary for the railway administration to connect Santragachhi and Sankrail stations to Andul station, a crucial infrastructural development.

The disruptions are expected to cause significant inconvenience to passengers, with over 15,000 daily commuters in Tatanagar alone likely to be affected. This includes passengers traveling between Tatanagar-Ranchi and Howrah-Rourkela, who often make daily commutes for work or other purposes.

Furthermore, passengers from rural stations will lose connectivity with major railway stations during the block period.

In addition to the line block in West Bengal, the Railway has also announced route changes for trains running between Tatanagar, Hatia, Jasidih, Dhanbad, and Patna, and destinations like Ernakulam, Bengaluru, and Yeshwantpur Express due to a line block on the Vijayawada route. From June 27 to July 28, these trains will be rerouted, affecting hundreds of passengers traveling to and from Tambaram, Alleppey, and Guwahati, as they will not run between Nidadavolu, Bhimavaram, Gudiwada, and Vijayawada stations.

Railway authorities have urged passengers to plan their journeys accordingly and remain updated on the latest schedule changes and cancellations to minimize inconvenience during this period of extensive rail disruptions.