Elephant movement along a key rail corridor in eastern India has led to the cancellation of more than half a dozen passenger trains under the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway for three days beginning December 22, railway officials said on Sunday.
According to a railway statement, MEMU train services will remain cancelled from December 22 to 24 as a safety measure.
The decision follows reports of elephant activity close to railway tracks on the Chakradharpur–Jharsuguda section, which passes through parts of Jharkhand and Odisha.
“Movement of a herd of elephants has been noticed near rail tracks between Chakradharpur (Jharkhand's Singhbhum)-Jharsuguda (Odisha) section of the division, especially Bandamuna during night,” said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Chakradharpur division of S E Railway, Aditya Choudhary.
Railway officials said train speeds have been restricted in the affected stretches to prevent accidents, leading to congestion and delays.
“The train services are being slowed down, causing traffic congestion and subsequently delaying train movements,” Choudhary said.
As a result, several passenger services have been cancelled during the three-day period. These include 68025/68026 (Ckp-Rou-Ckp), 68043/68044 (Tata-Rou-Tata), 18175/18176 (Hte-Jsg-Hte), 68029/68030 (Rou-Jsg-Rou), 58151/58152 (Brmp-Bxf-Brmp) PASS, 68125/68126 (Tata-Bbn-Tata) MEMU, 68019/68020 (Tata-Gua-Tata) MEMU, and 68010/68009/68006 (Ckp-Tata-Kgp-Ckp) MEMU.