Bhubaneswar, Oct. 25: Heavy rain disrupted train services for the second consecutive day today with water flowing over tracks and railway bridges between Khurda Road and Vizianagaram on the Howrah-Chennai main line.

Eighteen trains were cancelled and 24 diverted through alternative routes. Railway authorities also decided to short terminate five trains and rescheduled four more trains.

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An East Coast Railway official said special patrol teams had been engaged at sensitive locations to keep a sharp lookout for rising water levels or other issues involving passengers’ safety.

“The places, where the water is flowing over the tracks and bridges, include Tilaru-Kottabomali, Kottabomali-Nawapada, Srikakulam-Palasa, Jhadupudi-Ichchapuram, Mandasa Road-Summadevi, Sompeta-Baruva, Jhadupudi-Sompeta, Palasa-Pundi, Pundi-Nawapara in Andhra Pradesh, Brahmapur-Jagannathpur, Humma-Rambha and Mancheswar-Bhubaneswar in Odisha,” said a senior railway official.

He said that due to breaches on Palasa-Khurda Road (Palasa section), many passengers were stranded at Khallikot, Chilika and Chhatrapur railway stations. “Special trains from Bhubaneswar to Balugaon have been arranged for the stranded passengers. We have also arranged bus services for them at Chhatrapur, Khallikote and Chilika,” he said, adding that the services would be back to normality once the water receded.

The torrential rain had led to diversion of more than 30 long-distance trains yesterday.