Signal flashes red as high velocity winds hit Rameswaram

Hundreds of passengers stranded in railway stations due to suspension of rail services

Stranded: Passengers waiting for their trains at Ramanathapuram railway station on Thursday.

Squally winds, which swept the southern and eastern parts of the district since Thursday afternoon, hit the movement of trains to and from Rameswaram island, as railway officials suspended services on the Pamban rail bridge in view of high wind velocity.

Five trains, including two Chennai-bound mail and express, were detained at different places as they had no signal to pass through the two-km-long rail bridge, India’s only cantilever bridge.

As the velocity of the winds increased in the afternoon, the anemometer at both ends of the rail bridge automatically turned the signal red, forcing authorities to detain the Rameswaram-Chennai mail (16102) at Pamban block, ahead of the rail bridge, and the Rameswaram-Madurai passenger and Rameswaram-Chennai Sethu Express (22662) in Rameswaram.

After the winds subsided, the Chennai Mail which left Rameswaram at 5 p.m., was allowed to pass through the bridge at 9.15 p.m. after a delay of more than four hours. The wind velocity came down to 54 km per hour when the train was allowed to cross the bridge.

Madurai Passenger, which was scheduled to leave at 6 p.m. and Sethu Express at 8 pm, were detained at Rameswaram and allowed to cross the bridge after 9.30 p.m.

The Okha-Rameswaram Express was detained at Mandapam railway station after it reached the station at 7.20 p.m., the sources said. The Madurai-Rameswaram passenger was detained at Ramanathpauram railway station on arrival at 8.45 p.m. The two trains were operated at later stage.

Scores of passengers were stranded at different railway stations. The Ramanathapuram station was flooded with passengers awaiting the two Chennai-bound trains. On Tuesday night too, strong gales disrupted train services, and the Sethu Express could leave Pamban only at 1.45 a.m. the next day.