Why the Major Disruption?
Indian Railways has approved a 36-day power and traffic block at Chandigarh Railway Station, effective from September 10 to October 15, 2026. This major undertaking is necessary to facilitate a significant infrastructure upgrade by the Rail Land Development
Authority (RLDA). The primary work involves erecting a new 'through-roof' structure and dismantling the girders of the existing foot-overbridge. This essential upgrade aims to modernize the station but cannot be completed while it remains fully operational. To minimize the impact, the work has been divided into three 12-day phases, but widespread changes to train services are unavoidable.
Which Trains Are Fully Cancelled?
A total of 12 train services will be completely cancelled for the duration of the block, affecting 442 individual trips between September 9 and October 16. This is the most severe category of disruption, requiring passengers to find entirely different travel arrangements. Key cancelled services include the daily Chandigarh-Amritsar Express (14541/14542) and the Chandigarh-Ferozepur Express (14629/14630). Other major cancellations affecting daily commuters and regional travellers include services on the Kalka-Ambala, Ambala-Jalandhar, and Delhi-Kalka routes. Passengers who have booked tickets on these trains are advised to seek a refund and explore alternative options.
Trains Terminating or Starting at Ambala
For many services, Ambala Cantonment will become a temporary hub. Several trains that usually run to or from Chandigarh will now be 'short-terminated' or 'short-originated' at Ambala. This means passengers will have to arrange their own transport for the Chandigarh-Ambala leg of their journey. Affected trains include the popular Ajmer-Chandigarh Garib Rath (12983/12984) and services connecting Chandigarh to Udaipur (20989/20990) and Ramnagar. For example, on specific dates in September and October, the Udaipur City-Chandigarh train (20989) will terminate at Ambala, while its return service (20990) will start from Ambala instead of Chandigarh.
Diversions and New Stoppages
In addition to cancellations, some trains will be rerouted to bypass Chandigarh altogether. For instance, two trains on the Ludhiana-Amritsar route (14615/14616) will be diverted via Sirhind on October 3 and 10, skipping both Chandigarh and SAS Nagar (Mohali). To help ease the pressure on other stations, the Railways has also introduced a temporary stop at SAS Nagar (Mohali) for eight long-distance trains. This includes services like the Sabarmati-Amritsar Express (18309/18310) and the Amritsar-Dehradun Express (14631/14632), giving passengers an alternative boarding or deboarding point close to Chandigarh.
Plan for Platform Changes and Delays
Even for trains that are still running, passengers should not assume their schedules are normal. Throughout the 36-day block, a total of 76 trains will berth at different platforms than usual. These changes will happen in phases, affecting 20 trains from Sept 10-21, 17 trains from Sept 22-Oct 3, and 39 trains from Oct 4-15. Major services like the Delhi-bound Shatabdi Express (12046), the Vande Bharat Express (20977/78), and the Howrah-Kalka Mail will all be assigned different platforms at various times. This reshuffle is guaranteed to cause confusion, so arriving early and checking display boards is crucial.
What Travellers Must Do Now
Given the scale of these changes, planning ahead is essential. The Railways has strongly advised all passengers to verify their train's latest operational status before starting their journey. This can be done through the official NTES app, by calling the Rail Madad helpline at 139, or by checking with the station enquiry counter. Do not rely on previously booked tickets or old schedules. If your journey involves a train terminating at Ambala or Mohali, factor in the extra time and cost required to travel between that station and Chandigarh by road. For cancelled trains, online ticket holders should see automatic refunds, while those with counter tickets will need to claim them at a station.
