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Close to 6,000 passengers travelling on long-distance trains were stranded at various stations on the Konkan Railway route on Thursday following Indian Railways’ suspension of train services in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district after the Vashisthi river overflowed due to incessant rain in the region since Wednesday.
At least 12 trains were regulated due to disruption of services on the route, while several others were cancelled, diverted or rescheduled, officials of the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) said. Regulating trains means halting them at any of the railway stations enroute the journey until rail traffic is normalised.
KRCL’s deputy general manager (PR), Baban Ghatge, said the water level at the Vashishti river bridge between Chiplun and Kamthe stations had risen above the danger level, and that the level crossing near the bridge was also waterlogged. Train services were suspended temporarily in view of passenger safety, he said. “Once the water recedes, trains that have been regulated at various stations will resume their onward journeys,” he said.
Konkan Railway officials said all the affected trains have been halted at safe locations and that the stranded passengers were being taken care of. “We have made all arrangements for providing them with meals, tea, water and refreshments at the railway stations,” a senior Konkan Railway official said.
Railway officials have, by rough estimates, tagged the number of marooned passengers at nearly 6,000. “The number would have been much more had it been in normal times. The trains that are currently plying are only at 60% capacity,” an official said.
01152 Madgaon-Mumbai CSMT Janshatabdi of Thursday and 02120 Karmali-Mumbai CSMT Tejas Special of Friday have been cancelled, a press release by the Railways said.
Goa-bound trains that were affected included Mumbai CSMT-Karmali Tejas Special that was terminated at Roha station and the rake was brought back to Mumbai CSMT. Mumbai CSMT-Madgaon Janshatabdi was regulated at Khed railway station, and the Mumbai CSMT -Madgaon Daily Special at Mangaon station. Among the affected trains that departed from Goa were the Madgaon-Mumbai CSMT Mandovi that was regulated at Kankavali.
Train services were also affected owing to a landslide between the Kasara-Kalyan section of Central Railway on Thursday morning. Sources said heavy rain caused flooding, washing out of tracks, boulder crashes and mudslides in the Kasara ghat region. Rail tracks were submerged at the Umbermali station near Kasara, and there were boulder crashes in the ghat section.
Railway officials said that services of some trains were suspended, some others were diverted along alternative routes. The 02618 H Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Daily Special was diverted via Manmad Jn, Daund Chord line, Pune Jn, Miraj Jn, Londa Jn and Madgaon Jn. Restoration work was under way on a war footing to clear tracks of the boulders, they said.
Coastal Konkan, parts of Mumbai metropolitan region, Vidarbha and several districts in western Maharashtra witnessed floods on Thursday following heavy rain since Wednesday.
Courtesy: TOI