Cyclone Montha: East Coast Railway Cancels 43 Trains for Passenger Safety
Visakhapatnam: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has announced the cancellation of 43 trains in view of Cyclone Montha, which is expected to make landfall near Kakinada on Tuesday night. The decision was taken to ensure passenger safety as heavy rains and strong winds are likely to impact coastal Andhra Pradesh.
According to officials, the cancellations affect several trains originating from or passing through Visakhapatnam and other coastal routes between October 27 and 29.
Among the cancelled services are:
- Visakhapatnam–Kirandul Express (18515) and Kirandul–Visakhapatnam (18516)
- Visakhapatnam–Kirandul Passenger (58501) and Kirandul–Visakhapatnam Passenger (58502)
- Visakhapatnam–Koraput Passenger (58538) and Visakhapatnam–Koraput Express (18512) and their return services
- Rajahmundry–Visakhapatnam MEMU (67285) and its pairing train
- Visakhapatnam–Kakinada Port Express (17268), Visakhapatnam–Tirupati (08583), and their return trains
- Visakhapatnam–Guntur Double Decker (22875), Visakhapatnam–Tirupati Double Decker (22707), and Visakhapatnam–Brahmapur (18526) with their pairing services
Other affected trains include Guntur–Rayagada Express (17243/17244), Visakhapatnam–Palasa MEMU (67289/67290), Vizianagaram–Visakhapatnam (67287/67288), Brahmapur–Visakhapatnam Passenger (58531/58532), Visakhapatnam–Gunupur Passenger (58506/58505), Visakhapatnam–Machilipatnam Express (17220), and several long-distance express services such as Visakhapatnam–Hyderabad (12727), Visakhapatnam–Mahabubnagar Superfast (12861/12862), Visakhapatnam–Chennai Central Superfast Weekly (22869/22870), Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad (12739), Visakhapatnam–New Delhi AP Superfast Express (20805/20806), and Visakhapatnam–Mumbai LTT Express (18519/18520).
The South Central Railway is also expected to cancel or reschedule some trains operating in Andhra Pradesh due to the cyclone threat.
Authorities have urged passengers to check the latest train schedules before travel. Meanwhile, the state government has placed coastal districts on high alert, warning residents to stay indoors until the situation stabilizes. Cyclone Montha is likely to bring winds of 90–110 kmph accompanied by heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across multiple districts.
