Passengers traveling across eastern, central, and southern parts of the country face significant travel disruptions as Indian Railways has initiated large scale cancellations and route curtailments due to the impending threat of Cyclone Arnab. To safeguard commuters and protect railway infrastructure from heavy winds and rainfall, train services across six key states will remain suspended or short terminated on selective dates between October 27 and November 5, 2026. Travelers intending to board long distance express services as well as local unreserved passenger trains are required to double check their scheduled journeys before making their way to railway stations.
Extensive Network Impact Across Six Major States
The administrative precautionary measures will hit rail connectivity heavily in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. Important urban nodes and industrial hubs including Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Koraput, Jagdalpur, Rayagada, Howrah, Secunderabad, and Pune fall directly along the routes of the suspended services. Passengers planning interstate travel through these routes are advised to closely monitor real time schedules to prevent inconvenience.
Beyond long distance express lines, regional intercity and local passenger services are among the hardest hit. Key train services including the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Express and the Rourkela-Jagdalpur Intercity Express will remain completely non-operational for multiple consecutive days. Additionally, local links connecting Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Cuttack, Paradip, and Palasa have been halted to minimize risk during peak storm impact windows.
Detailed List of Cancelled Express Services
Railways has detailed the specific schedules and train numbers subject to total cancellation over the multi-day disruption period
- Train Number 18515 and 18516: The Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Express and Kirandul-Visakhapatnam Express stand cancelled from October 29 through November 4, 2026.
- Train Number 18107: The Rourkela-Jagdalpur Intercity Express will not operate between October 29 and November 4, 2026.
- Train Number 18108: The Jagdalpur-Rourkela Intercity Express remains cancelled from October 30 to November 5, 2026.
- Train Number 18005: The Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express will not run between October 27 and October 30, 2026.
- Train Number 18006: The Jagdalpur-Howrah Samaleswari Express is suspended from October 28 to October 31, 2026.
Suspension of Visakhapatnam and Koraput Regional Lines
Passengers commuting on regional tracks between Visakhapatnam, Koraput, and Kirandul face extended operational stoppages on specified dates. The listed cancelled services on these sectors include
- Train Number 58538: Visakhapatnam-Koraput Passenger cancelled from October 27 to October 30, 2026.
- Train Number 58537: Koraput-Visakhapatnam Passenger cancelled from October 28 to October 31, 2026.
- Train Number 18512: Visakhapatnam-Koraput Express cancelled specifically on October 30, 2026.
- Train Number 18511: Koraput-Visakhapatnam Express cancelled specifically on October 31, 2026.
- Train Numbers 58501 and 58502: The Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Passenger and Kirandul-Visakhapatnam Passenger services remain cancelled from October 27 through October 30, 2026.
Disruptions to Key Long Distance Express Routes
Several flagship superfast and express services linking Odisha with neighboring southern, western, and central states have also been pulled from service on target dates
- Train Number 12703: Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express cancelled on October 29, 2026.
- Train Number 17015: Bhubaneswar New-Secunderabad Visakha Express cancelled on October 29, 2026.
- Train Number 20809: Sambalpur-Nanded Nagavali Superfast Express cancelled on October 30, 2026.
- Train Number 22881: Pune-Bhubaneswar Superfast Express cancelled on October 29, 2026.
- Train Number 17244: Rayagada-Guntur Express cancelled on October 28, 2026.
Services Cancelled Specifically on October 27
Initial disruption schedules resulted in the complete cancellation of five key outbound and return express services starting October 27, 2026
- Train Number 20810: Nanded-Sambalpur Nagavali Superfast Express cancelled on October 27, 2026.
- Train Number 17016: Secunderabad-Bhubaneswar New Visakha Express cancelled on October 27, 2026.
- Train Number 12704: Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Express cancelled on October 27, 2026.
- Train Number 22882: Bhubaneswar-Pune Superfast Express cancelled on October 27, 2026.
- Train Number 17243: Guntur-Rayagada Express cancelled on October 27, 2026.
Partial Route Curtailments for Hirakhand Express
In addition to complete cancellations, operational modifications have been implemented for selected train services to avoid high danger coastal and forested corridors during the cyclone. The Hirakhand Express will experience short termination and short origination during the storm phase
- Train Number 18447: The Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express departing between October 27 and October 30, 2026, will terminate its journey at Rayagada Station. It will not operate on the section between Rayagada and Jagdalpur.
- Train Number 18448: The Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express scheduled from October 28 to October 31, 2026, will originate directly from Rayagada Station instead of Jagdalpur. Passengers booked from Jagdalpur must adjust their arrangements accordingly.
Short Distance Local and MEMU Train Cancellations
Additional notifications issued on October 27 announced further cancellations targeting short distance local and MEMU commuter services operating primarily across coastal Odisha districts on October 28 and October 29, 2026
- Train Numbers 58406 and 58405: Paradip-Cuttack-Paradip Passenger cancelled on October 28, 2026.
- Train Numbers 68411 and 68412: Bhubaneswar-Brahmapur-Bhubaneswar MEMU cancelled on October 28, 2026.
- Train Number 68445: Cuttack-Palasa MEMU cancelled on October 28, 2026.
- Train Number 68446: Palasa-Cuttack MEMU cancelled on October 29, 2026.
Advisory for Passengers and Verification Channels
Rail authorities have issued an urgent appeal to all passengers to verify current operational statuses before departing for their respective boarding stations. Passengers can access live tracking and operational updates through the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) online platform or by dialing the standard railway helpline number 139. Railway management emphasizes avoiding unverified station visits to prevent crowding and safety hazards during the heavy weather alert period.
