The Eastern Railway will not operate any local train from Sealdah station from 8 pm on Thursday till 10 am on Friday in view of the cyclonic storm Dana. The step was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of train passengers in the Sealdah division that serves six districts of West Bengal - North 24 Praganas, South 24 Praganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata and Howrah. The Met Office said the storm, which is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 mph, will bring heavy rain to several south Bengal districts on October 24 and 25.
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"From 8 pm onwards on October 24, no local train will start from Sealdah station to ensure that no train is on the tracks during the time when the cyclone is apprehended to make landfall," the ER official said. He said that local train services in the Sealdah division will remain suspended till 10 am on October 25, he said.
Local Train Update
The official said that the last train from Hasnabad and Namkhana stations, which are close to the coastal areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts, respectively, will depart towards Sealdah by 7 pm on October 24. South Eastern Railway on Tuesday announced that more than 150 express and passenger trains running through its jurisdiction were cancelled in view of the cyclone. The East Coast Railways on Tuesday also cancelled as many as 198 trains passing through and originating from Odisha.