Cyclone Ditwah: Several Trains Cancelled, Flights Delayed As Heavy Rain Lashes Tamil Nadu Coast

Cyclonic storm Ditwah, which earlier wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka, killing at least 69 people, is approaching the southern coast of India. The cyclone is likely to approach the southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh by early morning on Nov. 30, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). 

Tamil Nadu is anticipated to suffer major disruption to daily life due to the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. In its latest bulletin, released at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, the IMD said that the storm moved north-northwest at 8 kmph in the past six hours.

It was centred at 5.30 a.m. over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Sri Lanka. At that time, it was 80 km east-southeast of Jaffna, 110 km north-northwest of Trincomalee, 190 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 300 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 400 km south of Chennai.

Tamil Nadu remains on a high alert as Cyclone Ditwah approaches the state. Authorities are taking measures to minimise the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. The weather agency has predicted heavy rainfall in the southern and Cauvery delta districts between Nov. 29 and 30. Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed the situation at the state emergency operations centre on Friday, according to a PTI report.

The IMD has issued a red alert for several districts, warning about extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours. Many districts, including Chengalpattu, Villupurram and Cuddalore, among others, are expected to witness extremely heavy rainfall on Saturday.

In view of the approaching Cyclone Ditwah, train and flight services have been disrupted. Authorities have cancelled or rescheduled several trains in southern Tamil Nadu to avoid any adverse situation due to Cyclone Ditwah. 

Flights to and from Colombo, Jaffna, Pondicherry, Tuticorin, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai and Madurai may experience disruptions, IndiGo said. The airline advised checking flight statuses on their mobile application.

In case, any customer's flight gets impacted, they can get refund or alternate options. Akasa Air also said that their flights from and to Chennai will be impacted due to Ditwah. It also advised customers to check flight statuses on its website.

Several trains remain partially cancelled or terminated and many are set to skip stations such as Rameswaram, Pamban, Uchipuli and Mandapam Camp, among others. Affected trains include 22662 Rameswaram – Chennai Egmore Express, 16104 Rameswaram - Tambaram Express, 16344 Madurai – Thiruvananthapuram Central Express, 16850-Rameswaram - Tiruchchirappalli Express, 16752-Mandapam - Chennai Egmore Express, among others.

The Southern Railway has shared the full list of the affected trains. The list of cancelled trains is expected to be updated as more details about the cyclone emerge.

Passengers can check the full list of cancelled trains here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10gsF_3CEvg9gNXSX-vwBlS52oR7QrkCOXisVvGYfrEc/edit?gid=0#gid=0 

At least 40 flights, scheduled for Saturday, have been impacted due to the approaching cyclone Ditwah, Chennai Airport said in an X post. Most of these flights are operated by budget airline IndiGo.

Passengers scheduled to travel on Nov. 29 are advised to refer to the list issued by the authorities and check with their airlines to avoid any inconvenience.