Dumka: Rail communication on the Sahibganj-Barharwa section of Eastern Railway resumed scheduled operations on Wednesday, bringing relief to passengers who had faced diversions and operational restrictions since September 29.Railway authorities had suspended traffic on the down line from September 29 to October 6 as strong currents in the Ganga and a change in the river’s course threatened the railway embankment between Sakrigali and Maharajpur.“Passenger safety is the railway’s first priority whenever natural calamities or threats to railway infrastructure arise. At the same time, we are committed to restoring affected services at the earliest while remaining sensitive to the difficulties faced by passengers,” said Manish Kumar Gupta, the DRM of Malda division under the Eastern Railway.The down line was restored on Tuesday and the 03428 Sahibganj-Howrah Passenger Special became the first train to pass through the vulnerable stretch on Wednesday.Around 800 people worked round the clock to safeguard the affected stretch. More than 200 wagons were used to transport boulders to vulnerable locations. Porcupine structures were installed to reduce the velocity of the river current and promote sediment deposition, while gabion boxes and boulder crates were used to check soil erosion and reinforce the embankment. Railway sleepers and stone dust were used to strengthen the embankment.