Ranchi/Jamshedpur/Dhanbad, March 22: At least nine trains were cancelled and double the number diverted across three railway divisions of the state on the first day of a 48-hour Maoist bandh.

The worst hit was Dhanbad division of East Central Railway. Senior public relations officer Amrendra Das said eight trains had been cancelled and nine redirected.

Three express trains, including Ranchi-New Delhi Garib Rath, have been cancelled along with Gomoh Passenger, two Barwadih Passengers, Dehri-on-Sone Passenger and Barkakana Passenger.

The diverted include Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express, which will run on the Gomoh-Mughalsarai-Chunar route from March 21 to 23.

The Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway cancelled the Tata-Badampahar Passenger till tomorrow. Railway officials said important trains travelling on the Howrah-Mumbai route were being escorted by a pilot engine.

Additional DRM of Ranchi railway division M.K.Yadav said eight trains had been diverted. The eight trains that have been redirected include Ranchi-Varanasi Intercity Express, Ranchi-Ajmer Intercity Express, Ranchi-Sambalpur Intercity Express and Hatia-New Delhi Swarnjayanti. “These trains will go via Gomoh and Mughalsarai instead of Barkakana,” Yadav said.