The Reason for the Major Disruption
Indian Railways has announced a significant traffic block at the Chandigarh railway station as part of a major upgrade project. The work, managed by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), involves erecting a new through-roof structure and dismantling
the old foot-overbridge girders. This essential infrastructure work cannot be completed safely with normal train operations, necessitating a phased shutdown of various railway lines and platforms over a 36-day period. This will lead to widespread cancellations, diversions, and partial cancellations of train services that normally run through or from Chandigarh.
Key Dates: A Phased Shutdown
The disruption is not total but is spread across three distinct 12-day phases, each targeting different parts of the station to minimize overall impact while allowing construction to proceed. The block will be in effect from September 10 to October 15, 2026. The phases are: - Phase 1: September 10 to September 21 (affecting lines 6, 7, and 8) - Phase 2: September 22 to October 3 (affecting lines 4 and 5) - Phase 3: October 4 to October 15 (affecting lines 1, 2, and 3) During these periods, a total of 54 train services will be impacted, forcing many passengers to find alternative travel arrangements.
Short-Terminated and Short-Originated Trains
The most significant change for passengers is that 54 train trips will be 'short-terminated' or 'short-originated'. This means they will not reach Chandigarh station at all. Instead, these services will either end their journey at Ambala Cantonment or begin their journey from there. Passengers with tickets to or from Chandigarh on these trains will need to arrange their own transport for the Ambala-Chandigarh leg of their journey. Key affected services include the Ramnagar-Chandigarh Express (15063/15068), the Ajmer-Chandigarh Garib Rath (12983/12984), and the Udaipur-Chandigarh Express (20989/20990).
Cancelled and Diverted Services
In addition to short-terminations, twelve train services will be fully cancelled for the duration of the block, affecting a staggering 442 individual trips. These include popular routes like the Delhi-Kalka service (14331/14332), the Chandigarh-Amritsar Express (14541/14542), and the Chandigarh-Ferozepur Express (14629/14630). Furthermore, a couple of services, such as the Lalkuan-Amritsar Superfast Express (14615/14616), will be completely diverted on certain dates to bypass Chandigarh, running via Ambala-Sirhind-Sanehwal instead.
A Passenger Checklist: What You Should Do
If you are scheduled to travel during this period, proactive planning is essential. Firstly, verify the status of your specific train. Do not assume your schedule is unaffected. You can check the latest updates via the NTES app or the railway helpline at 139. For trains that are short-terminated at Ambala, factor in the extra time and cost of road travel to or from Chandigarh. To ease the inconvenience, Railways has announced temporary additional stops at SAS Nagar (Mohali) for several long-distance trains, including the Sambalpur-Jammu Tawi Express (18309) and the Dehradun-Amritsar Express (14631/14632). Also be aware that platform numbers for many operating trains, including the Vande Bharat and Shatabdi expresses, will be frequently changed. Always check the display boards at the station before heading to a platform.
