Over 100 Local trains cancelled in Sealdah Div’s South Section

Kolkata: Over 100 local trains in the South Section of the Sealdah Division will be cancelled on February 1 and February 2 for non-interlocking work at Ballygunge and Kankurgachi, the Eastern Railway (ER) authorities announced.

The divisional railway manager (DRM) of Sealdah, Deepak Nigam explained that the disruption is necessary to replace the outdated Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) systems at Ballygunge and Kankurgachi junctions, which were commissioned in 1994 and 1993 respectively, with more advanced Electronic Interlocking (EI) systems,

The work, which will begin on the intervening night of January 31 and February 1, will continue for 52 hours, ending at 4 am on February 3. Consequently, 59 local trains will be cancelled on Saturday, with an additional 49 on Sunday, totalling 108 cancellations. Furthermore, over 120 trains will be short-terminated and short-originated at various stations, including New Alipore, Majherhat, and Sonarpur.

Direct local train services operating via the Kankurgachi Road Junction (Cabin) - Sir Gurudas Banerjee Halt - Ballygunge Junction Chord section will be restricted or diverted to Sealdah North. “Passengers travelling to Sealdah North from South and vice versa via the chord line will have to change trains at Sealdah,” said DRM Nigam.

However, train services in the Sealdah North and Main sections (to Naihati and beyond) will operate normally. Similarly, services in the Sealdah Central section, encompassing routes to Barasat, Hasnabad, and Bangaon Junction, will continue uninterrupted. Train services from Sealdah South to Diamond Harbour, Lakshmikantapur, Namkhana, and Canning will operate as usual.