Restoration of Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya line on

The train services between Mangaluru and Bengaluru disrupted a month ago due to massive landslides are likely to resume soon, with the work on removing mounds of soil from railway tracks on Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya route continuing at a brisk pace.

The Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section in the Western Ghats has a railway track length of 55.26 km with a rolling gradient of 1 in 50. The section comprises of 109 curves covering a distance of 34.970 km. The area in the Western Ghats had witnessed multiple landslides owing to heavy showers, resulting in the suspension of train services.

According to sources in Indian Railways, about 70% of soil lying on the tracks has been cleared. A massive landslide had occurred at Kodavarahalli near Siribagilu. The continued landslides at the same spot had delayed work for some time. Huge boulders too had come down rolling along with the soil during the landslides.

The 170-metre-long tunnel near Siribagilu has been buried under soil and boulder. Around 13 earthmovers had been engaged to remove the soil. The labourers had been working round the clock for past one month in shifts to clear mounds of soil. The railway officials, staff had been camping at the spot in temporary tents erected for their stay. Barring Siribagilu, the railway tracks on the stretch had been cleared for rail traffic.

The landslides at Kodavarahalli had posed a hindrance to the work. The clearing of landslides in the congested areas posed many challenges. On one side was the hilly range and on the other side a steep terrain. Owing to lack of space, tippers could not be deployed to shift the soil.

Senior Engineer Mysuru division Ravindra Deeredhar said the work on clearing tracks of mounds of soil was pending at one spot. The traffic is likely to be restored within a few days, he added.