Seven express and superfast trains were detained for two to three hours on the Madurai-Tiruchi railway section near Ambathurai in Dindigul district on Sunday night after boulders from the nearby hilly terrain fell on the broad gauge track following heavy rain in the evening.
“We have a special arrangement of intensified track patrolling with two railway trackmen patrolling this deep rock cutting section round the clock. Even yesterday, railway personnel noticed the boulders on the track and alerted the railway officials much before the first train could go near them,” Additional Divisional Railway Manager R.V.B. Babu said.
The boulders were seen on the track at 11.30 p.m. and all the trains starting from Pearl City and Ananthapuri Expresses were stopped at different locations. Railway officials, led by Divisional Engineer S. Marimuthu and men worked for three hours to clear the tracks. The tracks were cleared at 2.40 a.m.
The BG line laid in 1993 has been witnessing such incidents during rain.
Additional patrolling
Considering the monsoon , Mr. Babu said additional two persons would be deployed on the 2.8-km-stretch of the track in the deep rock cutting area to keep close watch on the tracks. Thus, the frequency of the patrolling would be increased during rain, he said.
