Indian Railways announces widespread train cancellations across multiple zones in September 2026

Indian Railways has announced significant service disruptions throughout September 2026, impacting passengers across several zones due to essential infrastructure maintenance and station remodeling projects. Passengers planning journeys in the coming weeks should note that operations are scheduled to return to normal only after the completion of these heavy engineering works. Indian Railways has cancelled 18 trains in the Eastern Railway zone due to remodeling work at Mugma Station on the Dhanbad-Howrah rail section, which are concentrated between September 23 and 27, 2026. Manish Saurabh, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and Senior Public Relations Officer, confirmed these vital upgrades. Additionally, 10 trains including the Duronto, Shaktipunj, Sealdah-Ajmer, and Jammu Tawi services will be diverted via Asansol to Jasidih and Patna. Affected services include the 12371 Howrah-Bikaner Express on Sept 21, 12329 Sealdah-Anand Vihar Terminal Sampark Kranti Express on Sept 22, 18621/18622 Patna-Hatia Pataliputra Express from September 23-27, 13167 Kolkata-Agra Cantt Express on Sept 24, 12330 Anand Vihar Terminal-Sealdah Sampark Kranti Express on Sept 23, 12372 Bikaner-Howrah Express on Sept 24, 18603 Ranchi-Godda Express from September 24-25, and the 13503 Bardhaman-Hatia MEMU which will be short-terminated at Asansol between September 24 and 27.

Major Infrastructure Blocks Across Zones

Broader infrastructure projects are also causing nationwide service adjustments. The East Central Railway has initiated a major maintenance block near Mokama, Bihar, from September 21 to October 4, 2026, for a new double-line rail bridge over the Ganga, which affects 845 trains and results in 338 cancellations. Concurrently, the South Eastern Railway's Chakradharpur Division has cancelled 18 trains from September 25 to October 14, 2026, due to fifth-line commissioning work between Bandamunda Cabin-A and Rourkela, impacting travellers across Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Bihar. Further disruptions stem from ongoing works at West Central Railway's Bina Station Yard in Madhya Pradesh, non-interlocking work between Gorakhpur Cantt and Unaula in the Varanasi Division, and steel girder installation at Balichak in the Kharagpur Division. Specifically, the Hatia-Howrah Kriyayoga Express and Howrah-Jagdalpur Sambaleshwari Express are cancelled on September 19, with over 15 trains affected through September 21. Railway authorities strongly urge all passengers to verify their train status via the NTES app, the IRCTC portal, or the official helpline number 139 prior to departure to avoid any travel inconvenience.