Indian Railways Cancels 32 Services Near Visakhapatnam as Severe Cyclone Montha Barrels Towards Kakinada
BHUBANESWAR, October 28, 2025: In an important decision taken in the interest of safety, the Indian Railways canceled operations of 32 train services transiting the crucial rail corridor close to Visakhapatnam. This large-scale cancellation of services is being undertaken to prevent loss of life and damage to rolling stock from the oncoming Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha, expected to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada sometime late Tuesday evening or night. The East Coast Railway has also implemented a sweeping cancellation, diversion, and short-termination policy in the spirit of passenger safety as the cyclone system threatens to drench and lash parts of Southern Odisha and coastal Andhra Pradesh with high winds.
ECoR Makes Large-Scale Operational Adjustments for Safety
“Deepak Rout”, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) for East Coast Railway, confirmed the widespread disruption of services by stating that it was a precautionary measure considering extreme weather conditions. Local MEMUs and other trains that were supposed to be leaving on Tuesday, October 28, were on the cancellation list. Said Mr. Rout: While there are efforts being made to run some services until 4 p.m., the focus remains on lesser traffic in the high-risk zones. A complete list of the affected trains has been immediately made available to the general public on the Indian Railways’ official social media and digital platforms.
In addition to the near cancellation of services close to Visakhapatnam, the ECoR, diverting other major services, has been acting well in advance. The Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express was instead given a detour via another comparatively safer route, avoiding the severe weather area. Two important regional intercity trains have also been short-terminated outside the cyclone’s proposed path; that is, terminated at an earlier station along the route to avoid the cyclone. These include the Bhubaneswar-Jagadalpur Express and the Rourkela-Jagdalpur Express. This means a big fashion halt in full operations, shifting the paradigm from a cyclone-damage assessment model. A lot has changed since the past crippling cyclones like Hudhud; we saw the railways modify their disaster protocols. They are often bent towards zero-risk exposure to life and property, giving priority to cancellations of this kind so early ahead of time, all just to ensure that the network is still safe.
Cyclone Montha Intensifies; Coastal Region Braces for Impact
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has confirmed that the weather system has intensified from the status of a cyclonic storm into that of a severe cyclonic storm while over the west-central Bay of Bengal. Montha is now expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, with Kakinada being the most likely landfall point around Tuesday evening or night. The increasing intensity has already begun to affect the coastline.
Heavy rainfall has been experienced this morning in several coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and parts of southern Odisha in the storm’s path. Reports further indicate that Ganjam district in Odisha is experiencing rough seas, strong winds, and uninterrupted rainfall. Likewise, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, has also faced rains, a telling sign of how far-reaching the storm is. Traditionally, this patch of coast has a lot of susceptibility for the rapid intensity events between Machilipatnam and Gopalpur, given the high sea surface temperature. Flash flooding, which can wash out the track formation (the ballast and soil foundation) and takeweeks to repair, poses issues to the railway mostly not just from high wind speeds damaging overhead equipment. Thus, the early cancellation of services was a good decision to reduce those costs and hazards of washouts.
Advisory and future rail movement
The strategic suspension of rail traffic, besides being life-saving, ensures that emergency response teams can have unhindered access to the tracks post-storm. Travelers with reservations for services that either originate, terminate, or pass through the affected zones are strongly advised to check for any updates on the Indian Railways platforms before attempting to travel. The administration of the railways, after the passing of the cyclone, will fix its efforts on the rapid restoration of traffic once thorough inspections of the tracks, bridges, and signaling systems have been conducted.
