Indian Railways will cancel, divert or partially terminate 845 trains between September 21 and October 4, 2026, to facilitate Non-Interlocking (NI) work for commissioning a new parallel double-line rail bridge over the Ganga near Mokama in Bihar.
The 14-day traffic block is part of a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at eliminating capacity constraints on the existing Rajendra Setu, a single-line rail bridge commissioned in 1959 that can no longer be expanded, as per Business Today.
The new double-line bridge, approved in the 2015-16 Rail Budget at an estimated cost of Rs 1,491.47 crore, is expected to significantly improve rail connectivity and operational efficiency on the busy Delhi-Patna-Howrah corridor.
As part of the NI work, the new bridge will be integrated with the existing railway network at five key junctions, Upper Hathidah Junction, Tal Junction, Rampur Dumra, Dinkar Gram Simaria and Barauni Junction, allowing trains to operate seamlessly on the upgraded infrastructure once commissioned.
Of the total affected services, 338 trains will be cancelled, 384 diverted, 67 short-originated and 56 short-terminated, taking the overall impact to 845 train services. The highest level of disruption is expected on October 3, when 36 trains are scheduled to be cancelled.
Several prominent long-distance services, including the Kolkata-Jaynagar Express, Ajmer-Bhagalpur Express and Gorakhpur-Ranchi Express, are among the trains affected by the block.
The disruptions are expected to impact passengers travelling through Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, as well as major routes connecting Howrah, Patna, Kolkata and New Delhi.
Indian Railways has advised passengers travelling during the affected period to check their train status before commencing their journey, as cancellations, diversions and schedule changes will affect several long-distance and regional services, according to Business Today.
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The Railways said the temporary inconvenience is necessary to complete a long-term infrastructure project that will enhance line capacity, reduce congestion and improve train operations across eastern India.
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