Patna: Train services on one of eastern India’s busiest rail corridors continued to face major disruption after a goods train derailment on the Lahabon–Simultala stretch under the Asansol division, leaving passengers grappling with cancellations, diversions and long delays.
The accident, which occurred on the Jasidih–Jhajha section of the Patna–Howrah main line, led to track obstruction that has yet to be fully cleared. Even more than 70 hours after the derailment, normal operations had not resumed, according to railway officials, despite restoration work being carried out at what authorities described as “full pace”.
The disruption has had a cascading impact on passenger services scheduled for December 30 and 31. Railway bulletins said several trains had been cancelled, diverted, short-terminated or rescheduled as a precautionary measure. At least 26 trains from the Asansol–Howrah division and 25 from the Danapur division were diverted, while 11 trains from the Howrah–Asansol section and one from the Danapur division were cancelled outright.
Passengers have taken to social media to complain about the lack of timely information, with many saying they were learning about diversions barely half an hour in advance. Gautam Bharti, a passenger travelling from Patna, said the short notice made it difficult to plan connections, particularly for those needing to travel via Gaya to board long-distance trains.
The disruption has hit regular commuter services particularly hard. The Jan Shatabdi Express, a key daily link for passengers between Patna and Howrah, could not operate on schedule due to delays and diversions. To stabilise operations, the 12024 Patna–Howrah and 12023 Howrah–Patna Jan Shatabdi services were cancelled on Wednesday.
By contrast, premium services such as the Vande Bharat Express were less affected, though not immune to delays. The Patna–Howrah Vande Bharat departed eight minutes late but reached Howrah more than three hours behind schedule, while its return journey left Howrah nearly three hours late. The Jan Shatabdi, meanwhile, ran up to eight hours behind schedule on its return trip, inconveniencing daily commuters.
🚆 Jasidih–Jhajha Rail Disruption: Train Services Hit
❌ Cancelled Trains
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🚫 13157 Kolkata–Muzaffarpur Tirhut Express
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🚫 13509 Asansol–Gonda Express
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🚫 13021 Howrah–Raxaul Express
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🚫 13029 Howrah–Mokama Express
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🚫 13030 Mokama–Howrah Express
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🚫 63297 Deoghar–Jhajha Passenger
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🚫 63571 Jasidih–Mokama Passenger
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🚫 63566 Jhajha–Jasidih MEMU
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🚫 13022 Raxaul–Howrah Express (Dec 31)
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🚫 13510 Gonda–Asansol Express (Dec 31)
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🚫 12023 / 12024 Howrah–Patna / Patna–Howrah Jan Shatabdi
🔀 Diverted Trains
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🔄 18621 Patna–Hatia Patliputra Express (via Gaya–Dhanbad)
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🔄 15272 Muzaffarpur–Howrah Jansadharan (via Bhagalpur)
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🔄 15027 Sambalpur–Gorakhpur Maurya Express
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🔄 12351 Howrah–Rajendranagar Terminal Express
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🔄 Vibhuti Express
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🔄 Amritsar–Howrah Mail
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🔄 Gorakhpur–Kolkata Express
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🔄 Jaynagar–Sealdah Express
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🔄 Bhagalpur–Anand Vihar Garib Rath
⏰ Delayed Services
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🕒 Vande Bharat Express (minor delay, still operational)
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🕒 Jan Shatabdi Express (up to 8 hours late)
Railway officials have urged passengers to check the latest train status before travelling, warning that services may continue to be affected until the damaged section is fully restored.
