UditVani, Jamshedpur: Rail travel in the Chakradharpur Railway Division is set to remain severely affected for nearly a month due to extensive Non-Interlocking (NI) works being carried out at various stations.
According to the South Eastern Railway, line blocks will be imposed on different dates between December 20, 2025 and January 21, 2026, leading to large-scale cancellations, short termination of trains, rescheduling, and route diversions.
Several important services will be cancelled on multiple dates during this period. Train Nos. 18109/18110 Tatanagar–Itwari–Tatanagar Express, 18175/18176 Hatia–Jharsuguda–Hatia Express, and 68043/68044 Tatanagar–Rourkela–Tatanagar MEMU will remain cancelled on December 20, 23, 27 and 30, 2025, and January 3, 6, 10, 13, 17 and 20, 2026.
In addition, Train Nos. 58659 Hatia–Rourkela Passenger and 58660 Rourkela–Hatia Passenger will remain fully cancelled throughout the NI work period from December 20 to January 21.
The NI work will also impact the popular Ispat Express. Train No. 22861 Howrah–Kantabanji/Titlagarh Ispat Express will be short-terminated at Tatanagar on different dates between December 20 and January 20, with the onward service to Kantabanji/Titlagarh remaining cancelled. Similarly, Train No. 22862 Kantabanji/Titlagarh–Howrah Ispat Express will be short-terminated and short-originated at Jharsuguda, affecting connectivity to Howrah.
Among rescheduled services, Train No. 18310 Jammu Tawi–Sambalpur Express will depart five-and-a-half hours late from Jammu Tawi on various dates between December 18 and January 18, while Train No. 18106 Jaynagar–Rourkela Express will leave Jaynagar three-and-a-half hours late between December 19 and January 19.
Additionally, Train No. 18477 Puri–Rishikesh Utkal Express will operate on a diverted route via Cuttack–Sambalpur Yard–Jharsuguda Road–Ib instead of its regular alignment from December 19 to January 19.
The prolonged disruption has sparked growing resentment among passengers.
Frequent cancellations, especially of passenger and MEMU services, have drawn sharp criticism from daily commuters and local organisations, with warnings of intensified protests if the situation continues.
