Work on strengthening the hill cuttings abutting the Mangaluru-Mumbai line, just before the Kulashekara tunnel, is going on in full swing.
Train services on the Mangaluru-Mumbai line were disrupted between August 23 and 31 following landslips from hillocks adjacent to the track owing to torrential rains. Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division then faced the herculean task of clearing the muck and restoring the track.
All its attempts to remove the debris were going in vain every day as soil continued to come on to the railway track in slurry form, thereby delaying track clearance. As an alternative, the Railways laid a parallel track adjacent to the existing railway track for about 400 m and restored train services from September 1.
The SR restored the original track and operated services on it from November 1. Meanwhile, the Railways undertook permanent restoration and strengthening works on the affected areas. Permanent protection works included construction of Gabion walls along the affected stretch to prevent further landslips. It also included stabilisation of the slopes of the hillocks besides regularising the existing cuttings.
Contractor V. Santhosh Babu from Aluva is executing the restoration and stabilisation works at a cost of ₹4.22 crore. SR is confident the work will be completed before the onset of monsoon.
Work on track doubling on the stretch too will be undertaken once the protection works near completion, officials said.
