Severe flooding caused by the overflowing Punpun River has severely disrupted train operations in the Patna region of Bihar. The floodwaters have dangerously reached the girders of railway bridge number 21 located between Punpun and Parsa Bazaar stations. Passengers traveling through this region are advised to check their train schedules beforehand as multiple cancellations and route changes remain in effect. East Central Railway officials confirmed the cancellation of 10 MEMU passenger trains on the Gaya-Patna and Patna-Gaya routes, specifically trains 63242, 63258, 63245, 63396, 63248, 63243, 63259, 63393, 63250, and 63253 as of Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Eight trains have been successfully diverted to alternative routes, including the 63390 NWD-Patna MEMU, 63389 Patna-NWD MEMU, 63391 Islampur-Patna MEMU, 63392 Patna-Islampur MEMU, and the Purnia Court-Hatia Express traversing numbers 18625 and 18626.
The unfolding weather crisis began on the
night of September 4, 2026, when the railway engineering department proactively suspended train operations on the
down line of the Patna-Gaya section at 8:10 PM to prioritize commuter safety. While the up line remains operational for now, the entire situation is undergoing continuous hourly monitoring by a dedicated high-level safety team. Senior officials from the Danapur division are personally stationed at the vulnerable site to oversee conditions.
CPRO Saraswati Chandra and Danapur Senior DCM Abhinav Siddarth have emphasized that passenger safety remains the absolute primary concern for Indian Railways.
Normal train operations will resume only after water levels recede completely and technical safety teams grant final clearance. This localized transport disruption is part of a larger humanitarian crisis affecting Bihar, where relentless flooding has impacted nearly
2.24 million people across 12 districts. With the Ganga River also flowing well above historical danger marks, state authorities and railway officials continue to coordinate closely to manage critical infrastructure safety and ongoing disaster relief operations.
