Rain, mudslide paralyse Konkan rail service

Till late Saturday evening, rail workers, engineers and technicians were still shoveling and scooping out mud from the tracks in the wild rain.

Scores of trains running along the Konkan rail line route have been rescheduled or diverted. Konkan Railway, chief public relations officer (CPRO) Siddesh Telugu told Deccan Herald that till there is a respite from rains, “It would be difficult to even approximate as to when normal services would be restored.”

Konkan rail network connects southern states with Mumbai and central western states. Konkan, the green ribbon, running along Maharashtra’s western coast line, becomes a mudslide zone during monsoon season.

Early this week, a 20 feet retaining wall came crashing down on the rail tracks when chunks of mud barreled down on it near Pomendi, cutting Ratnagiri-Nivsar section.
Services on the sector were restored after 11 hours of shoveling on the tracks.

Cleaning act

Telugu said though shoveling and clearing of mud-caked slush submerged tracks, “is going on a war footing, as a precautionary safety measure, services have been stopped in the section.”  However, transshipment of people trapped on either side of the “affected section is going on in full swing,” Telugu said, adding that the transshipment is being undertaken between Ratnagiri and Adavali stations.   Transshipment in railway parlance means ferrying passengers stranded on either side of the affected regions are ferried via roads through buses by taking a detour. The ferried passengers are then dropped to the nearest operating rail station.

Giving details about the services which have been cancelled, the spokesperson said that eight services running between Mangalore, Sawantwadi, Madgaon, Dadar, Sawantwadi and CSTM (Mumbai VT) have been suspended till further notice.  Apart from the cancellation, the railways have also diverted services of long-distance trains via Panvel, Pune, Miraj, Londa and Madgaon.

However, diverted services, the spokesperson, admitted, “are inordinately delayed,” and passengers have been asked to make enquiries for a correct factual position and status of the train before proceeding towards the embarking station.

Public and passengers are requested to kindly contact Emergency Telephone Number 10722 for correct and factual information and position / status of trains.