South East Central Railway has announced the cancellation and partial rescheduling of several passenger trains due to ongoing infrastructure work on the busy Howrah–Mumbai main line. The work is being carried out in the Bilaspur–Jharsuguda railway section as part of a project to construct a fourth railway line to improve capacity and train operations.
Non-Interlocking Work at Akaltara Station
According to railway officials, the construction work involves establishing fourth-line connectivity at Akaltara railway station, located in the Bilaspur–Champa railway section. To facilitate this, pre-non-interlocking and non-interlocking operations will be carried out.
Railway authorities stated that during this period, several trains will either be cancelled, partially cancelled, or operated with changes in their routes.
Trains Cancelled
The following trains will remain cancelled during the specified dates:
- 68738/68737 Bilaspur–Raigarh–Bilaspur MEMU: Cancelled from March 31 to April 11, 2026
- 68735 Raigarh–Bilaspur MEMU Passenger: Cancelled from March 31 to April 11, 2026
- 68736 Bilaspur–Raigarh MEMU Passenger: Cancelled from March 30 to April 10, 2026
- 68746 Raipur–Gevra Road MEMU Passenger: Cancelled from March 30 to April 10, 2026
- 68745 Gevra Road–Raipur MEMU Passenger: Cancelled from March 31 to April 11, 2026
- 58204 Raipur–Korba Passenger: Cancelled from March 30 to April 10, 2026
- 58203 Korba–Raipur Passenger: Cancelled from March 31 to April 11, 2026
- 68734/68733 Bilaspur–Gevra Road–Bilaspur MEMU Passenger: Cancelled from March 31 to April 11, 2026
- 68732/68731 Bilaspur–Korba–Bilaspur MEMU Passenger: Cancelled from March 31 to April 11, 2026
- 58210 Bilaspur–Gevra Road Passenger: Cancelled from April 5 to April 11, 2026
Trains Short-Terminated / Short-Originated
Some trains will not run on the full route during the work period:
- 68861 Gondia–Jharsuguda Passenger will terminate at Bilaspur from March 31 to April 11, 2026, and will remain cancelled between Bilaspur and Jharsuguda.
- 68862 Jharsuguda–Gondia Passenger will originate from Bilaspur during the same period and remain cancelled between Jharsuguda and Bilaspur.
Special Arrangement for Passengers
To minimize inconvenience, railways will operate the 18250/18249 and 18252/18251 Korba–Raipur–Korba Hasdeo Express as passenger trains between Korba and Bilaspur from March 31 to April 11, 2026.
Railway authorities have advised passengers to check the latest train status through the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) or by dialing the railway helpline 139 before starting their journey.
The fourth-line project on this section is expected to significantly improve train movement and reduce congestion on the Howrah–Mumbai route once completed.