Rail transport in Tripura was severely impacted on Wednesday as a bandh called by the Tripura Civil Society brought train operations to a halt across the state. The shutdown, organized to push for a range of demands including the detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, the implementation of the Inner Line Permit, and the enforcement of the Tiprasa Accord, resulted in widespread cancellations and delays.
Protesters began blocking railway tracks at various points along the Dharmanagar–Agartala section starting at 7:25 am, leading to the suspension of multiple services throughout the day.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) reported that seven trains were cancelled and several others were either short-terminated or held at different stations due to the blockade. For example, Train No. 55676 (Dharmanagar–Agartala Passenger) was terminated at Ambassa, while Train No. 15664 (Silchar–Agartala Express) ended its journey at Karimganj. The return service, Train No. 15663 (Agartala–Silchar Express), had to start from Karimganj instead of Agartala.
Local DMU services, such as the Agartala–Sabroom and Agartala–Karimganj routes, were also cancelled for the day.
Long-distance trains were similarly affected. Train No. 07030 (Charlapalli–Agartala Special), which began on October 20th, was held up at Dharmanagar. The Sabroom–Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express and Agartala–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Superfast Express, both scheduled to depart on Wednesday, were detained at Agartala and Jirania, respectively.
Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma confirmed the disruptions and advised passengers to stay updated on the latest information before making travel plans. Railway officials assured that services would resume once the tracks are cleared and normal operations could be restored.
