Train services to and from Thiruvananthapuram Central had been affected due to flooding in low-lying areas caused by torrential rains which lashed the state capital since the wee hours of Wednesday.
The train services were hit since 4.15 a.m. due to the flooding of the railway tracks in the central station and landslips near Valiyasala on Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil side and near Upidamoodu bridge on Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam section, railway sources said.
Hundreds of passengers have been stranded in the central station and the access to the station had been cut off as the main entry had been water-logged. The passengers are using the second entry on the Power House road.
The railways have cancelled several inter-city trains starting from Thiruvananthapuram and passenger trains and partially cancelled another passenger train from Madurai to Punalur.
Ten express long distance trains coming to Thiruvananthapuram Central had been terminated at Kochuveli, Murukkumpuzha, Kazhakuttom, Varkala, Karunagapally and Kollam railway stations. This has left hundreds of passengers stranded in these railway stations and caused inconvenience to the commuters.
The railways have restored one line towards the Ernakulam side by 9.15 a.m. and the Gorakhpur Express was the first to leave from here after that followed by Sabari Express. The trains were operated from platform five as the tracks continue to be water-logged.
The work to restore the single lane towards Nagercoil is on by the railways on war-footing. Railway sources said the track will be made operational after safety audit and certification.
The railways have decided to operate the Delhi bound Kerala Express at 1.15 p.m. from Kochuveli in view of the flooding of tracks. The KSRTC will operate services to the railway stations to clear the stranded passengers.
Low-lying areas of Thampanoor, Pazhavangady, Attakulangara bypass, Karimadhom colony had been flooded. The heavy rains have disrupted traffic. The KSRTC services from Thampanoor and East Fort hit. Police said no rain-related incident had been reported so far.
Our Tirunelveli correspondent adds:
Following the landslips near Neyyatrinkara, triggered by overnight intermittent drizzle, the Kanyakumari – Mumbai Express, which had to leave Kanyakumari at 5.50 a.m., left the station only at 10.45 a.m., while the Nagercoil – Thiruvananthapuram Passenger Trains, which should have left the starting point at 6.45 a.m. and 8 p.m., were cancelled leaving the office-goers in the lurch.
The Kanyakumari – Bangalore Island Express, which used to leave the starting point at 9.30 a.m., was taken from Nagercoil Junction to Kanyakumari only at 10.50 a.m. after which the train is expected to start its journey to Bangalore.
The Chennai – Thiruvananthapuram Anantapuri Express Train suffered a delay of over 45 minutes as it left for its destination from Nagercoil only at 10.45 a.m. after the obstacles on the track near Neyyatrinkara were removed.
