Due to the effects of cyclone Michaung, the railways have cancelled many services to southern and eastern parts of India. This has also led to the cancellation of a few domestic flights, causing inconvenience to passengers.
On Tuesday, many passengers were left stranded at the Hyderabad airport due to bad weather. Around 20 flights from Hyderabad to Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Rajahmundry were cancelled.
The South Central Railway (SCR) has temporarily cancelled 315 trains, including the Hyderabad-Tambaram Charminar Express, Lingampally-Tirupati Narayanadri Express, Secunderabad-Gudur Simhapuri Express, and Secunderabad-Trivandrum Sabari Express.
Passengers who were waiting for flights expressed their concerns on social media, stating that there was no clarity provided. They mentioned that they were not informed about the cancellations and were only told that their flight to Chennai had been rescheduled.
Some passengers shared their experiences of last-minute train cancellations without any notification or refund from IRCTC. They also expressed frustration about the lack of information regarding refunds and when services would resume from airport officials.
To ensure safety, special counters have been set up at various stations and monsoon patrolling of affected tracks is being conducted. Stationary watchmen have also been posted at bridges and locations to gather real-time information.
A few trains are being restored on Tuesday, such as train no 12710 (Secunderabad-Gudur) and train no 12764 (Secunderabad-Tirupati). The SCR general manager has instructed railway officials to closely monitor the cyclone’s path and collaborate with government officials and NDRF teams for track and train safety.
As of Tuesday noon, 25 departures and 34 arrivals of domestic flights have been cancelled at GMR Hyderabad International Airport. Approximately 20 flights have been affected.