Assam: With Break-Down Of Mobile Services, Railways Wi-Fi Helps Stranded Passengers To Stay Connected

Wi-Fi proved to be big help for more than 1,000 passengers of two trains who were stranded due to heavy rains, and which led to total break-down of services of all mobile operators in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section in Assam.

The passengers could communicate with their relatives and families using the Wi-Fi network of RailTel, a railways PSU.

Bad weather and incessant rains led to massive landslides and water logging at several locations in Lumding-Badarpur hill section in Assam falling under Lumding division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). They also damaged railway tracks, bridges, road and communication network in this hilly terrain early this week.

The NFR zone had employed its entire machinery and controlled train services to ease the situation in the affected section where the Silchar-Guwahati express was stranded at Ditokcherra station and Guwahati-Silchar express at New Haflong station.

Railway administration initiated a massive evacuation operation with the help of the Air Force, Railway Protection Force, National Disaster Response Force, Assam Rifles and local people.