Aug. 14: Travel plans to north Bengal and beyond by train or road were affected by floods for the second consecutive day as Eastern Railway cancelled eight trains and five more scheduled to depart on Tuesday.

Rail tracks were submerged at several places beyond Malda till late tonight, forcing Eastern Railway to announce a spate of cancellations. The trains that won't leave Calcutta on Tuesday include the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express, Calcutta-Haldibari Intercity Express and Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchanjungha Express.

The Teesta Torsa Express, Darjeeling Mail and the Padatik Express were among the eight trains cancelled today, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. Trains to Assam - the Howrah-Guwahati Saraighat Express and the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express - were cancelled too.

Siliguri resident Abin Ghosh, 46, and his family found themselves stranded after attending a wedding. "It seems we are stuck for some time. Even buses are not plying," he said.

Several stretches of NH 31 and 34 are still flooded, cutting off north Bengal and the Northeast by road. Government and private bus services to Siliguri and Cooch Behar from Calcutta have been suspended.