Silchar: A power outage lasting more than 3.5 hours disrupted operations at Silchar railway station on Wednesday evening, affecting telecommunications, computerised services, the public announcement system and coach indication displays, while leaving hundreds of passengers inconvenienced.The outage began after dusk and plunged the station into darkness, forcing passengers to use mobile phone flashlights to move around the platforms. Elderly passengers, women and families travelling with children faced the most difficulty.Passengers of the 14646 Silchar–Charlapalli Express, which departed on schedule at 7.10pm, bore the brunt of the disruption. With the coach indication display system remaining non-functional, many passengers were seen running along the platform with luggage to locate their designated coaches.The automated announcement system remained out of service, leaving passengers without updates on train arrivals, departures and platform allocations. Computerised ticketing and other operational services were affected, while telecommunication links were disrupted, making coordination among railway personnel difficult, railway sources said.No major safety incident was reported and train operations continued uninterrupted, but the prolonged outage raised concerns over backup power arrangements at one of the busiest railway stations in the Barak Valley.Station superintendent Bikramjit Nath said a power tower in the railway yard near the station power house collapsed during a strong evening storm that lashed the region, triggering the outage.“Work to remove the damaged tower and restore power is under way. However, engineers are unable to give a timeframe for completion. Though the station premises remain dark, train services are operating normally without any disruption,” Nath told TOI.Passengers said a major railway station should have a more robust backup power system to ensure uninterrupted essential services during emergencies.
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