Railway track sinks in Odisha's Mayurbhanj due to heavy rain

Heavy rainfall in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha has caused a 50-metre section of railway track to sink near Baripada. The subsidence, caused by severe soil and ballast wash-away, was detected late Sunday night during the movement of a DMU train, shortly after the Puri-Bangiriposi Superfast Express had passed through the area.

As a result of the structural damage, train services on the Baripada-Bangiriposi route have been completely suspended. Affected services include the Bangriposi-Bhubaneswar Superfast Express and the Bhanjpur-Rupsa MEMU service.

Engineers from the Kharagpur Railway Division and emergency maintenance personnel have been working at the site since midnight to stabilize the ground and restore the tracks. Baripada Sub-Collector Tapas Kumar Mohanta confirmed that personnel are on the job, noting that the area has been under heavy rain alerts since August 12. Operations will remain suspended until repairs are finished and the tracks are declared safe.