Cyclone ‘Arnab’ has a big impact on Railways: More than 58 trains canceled till October 30, timings of many including Vande Bharat changed.

Amid warnings that the extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’, which has formed in the Bay of Bengal, will hit the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the Indian Railway Administration has taken extensive steps to ensure the safety of passengers. According to the Meteorological Department (IMD), at the time of landfall of the storm, the wind speed can reach 125 to 140 kilometers per hour and there is a possibility of inundation of coastal railway tracks and damage to signaling poles due to torrential rains. Keeping this risk in mind, South Central Railway (SCR) and South Coast Railway (SCoR) have officially announced the complete cancellation of more than 58 important trains running from 27 October to 30 October 2026. Along with this, there have been diversions in the routes of dozens of long distance trains, many short-terminations and rescheduling.

According to the official bulletin issued by the Railways, premium and superfast trains passing through Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh have been most affected:

• Vande Bharat Express (both directions): Secunderabad-Vishakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express (train numbers 20707/20708 and 20833/20834) has been completely canceled for October 28.

• Falaknuma Superfast Express: Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Express (12704) will remain canceled on 27th and 28th October and Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express (12703) will remain canceled on 29th October.

• Godavari Superfast Express: Hyderabad-Vishakhapatnam Godavari Express (12728/12727) has been canceled for October 27 and 28 in both directions.

• Garibrath Express: It has been decided to cancel Secunderabad-Vishakhapatnam Garibrath (12740/12739) on 27th and 28th October.

• Trains on Kakinada and Narsapur route: Lingampalli-Kakinada Town Kokanada Express (12776/12775), Lingampalli-Kakinada Port Gautami Express (12738/12737) and Narsapur Express will not run on October 27 and 28.

• Kirandul-Koraput Passenger Services: Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Night Express (18515/18516) and Kirandul-Vishakhapatnam Passenger (58501/58502) have been completely canceled from October 27 to 30.

• Ratnachal and Udaya Express: Vijayawada-Vishakhapatnam Ratnachal Express (12718/12717) and Visakhapatnam-Guntur Udaya Express (22875/22876) will not operate on October 28.

Due to possible waterlogging on the tracks and severe thunderstorm, Railways has shortened the routes of several major trains:

• Hirakhand Express (18447/18448): This train running between Bhubaneswar to Jagdalpur will run only up to Rayagada from October 27 to 30 and will return back to Bhubaneswar from there (Rayagada-Jagdalpur section cancelled).

• Nagarsol-Narspur Express (12788): On October 27, this train is being run only up to Charlapalli and has been partially canceled between Charlapalli and Narasapur.

• Tirupati-Vishakhapatnam Tirumala Express (18522): This train has been terminated at Renigunta instead of its entire journey. Additionally, some long distance trains from South India to North India and Bihar/Purvanchal are being diverted from the Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam main coastal line to alternative safe inland routes at Balharshah, Nagpur and Raipur.

In view of the severe nature of the cyclone, the Railway Board has set up a 24-hour war room in the Coastal Railway Divisions (Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntakal and Sambalpur). Special relief trains laden with boulders (big stones), sand bags and wooden sleepers have been kept on standby at Kazipet, Dornakal and Vijayawada to deal with any unexpected accident or track breakdown. Along with this, Accident Relief Trains (ART) and Medical Relief Equipment Van (ARME) have been kept ready with a team of doctors. Special patrolling teams of railway staff have been deployed on sensitive bridges and causeways with high water flow, so that the signal can be immediately turned red as soon as the water level rises above the danger mark.

Railway administration has clarified that full refund will be given to the passengers of trains which have been completely canceled due to natural disaster and cyclone:

• Online Ticket Holder: Passengers who have booked e-tickets through IRCTC website or mobile app, there is no need to cancel the ticket. Once the train is canceled by the system, the entire amount will be auto-refunded within 3 to 5 working days to the same bank account or wallet from which the payment was made.

• Counter PRS Ticket: To get refund of tickets purchased from railway station counter, passengers can visit any computerized reservation counter within 72 hours of the date of journey and submit their original ticket and get cash refund.

• Helpline Number: Passengers can call the national helpline number of Railways to know the live running status and rescheduling of their train. 139 You can call at. Apart from this, help desks have been activated at railway stations so that passengers do not face any inconvenience.

If you are planning to travel to the East Coast Route, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal or South India between October 27 and 30, be sure to check the actual timings and operating status of your train before leaving for the railway stations. Railways is sending direct information about the changes through SMS to the registered mobile numbers of passengers. Passengers should leave home only after checking the live status on ‘NTES’ (National Train Inquiry System) app or IRCTC portal so that they can avoid getting unnecessarily stuck at any station amid the wrath of the cyclone.