East Central Railway Diverts 384 Trains as Interlocking Begins on Rajendra Bridge

Interlocking work on the ageing Rajendra bridge has forced the East Central Railway to divert 384 train routes in September 2026. The work is required to accommodate a brand‑new double‑track bridge being built alongside the historic structure near Mokama.

Alongside the diversions, 56 train services will undergo partial closure and 67 services will start partially on modified routes. Between 20 September and 4 October, a total of 67 trains will be fully cancelled, with the most intensive day—3 October—seeing 36 cancellations.

The original Rajendra bridge, inaugurated in 1959, carries only a single railway line. Expanding it to a double line is impossible due to technical restrictions, and the surge in traffic over six decades has made the single line a chronic bottleneck, often forcing trains to stop before Baruni station.

The new bridge project, sanctioned in the 2015‑16 rail budget at an estimated cost of ₹1,491.47 crore, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 12 March 2016. It runs 50 metres north of the old bridge, spans 1.9 km, and with its approach tracks reaches around 14 km. The construction also includes nine smaller river bridges, two road‑over‑rail bridges and three rail‑over‑rail bridges, all connecting to existing stations on both ends.

The railway authority published a day‑by‑day list of cancelled trains that includes services such as 04185 Veerangana Lakshmibai Jhansi‑Asansol Special, 13029 Howrah‑Mokama Express, 13121 Kolkata‑Gajipur City Express, 13416 Patna‑Maldah Town Express and many passenger trains numbered 63204, 63275 and 63276. Passengers are urged to verify alternate timings and routes on the official portal.