6-metre rail track replaced at Kundayithode

Railways yet to rule out possibility of sabotage

The engineering wing of Railways on Monday replaced the railway track at Kundayithode, near Cheruvannur, on which several holes were found.

The replacement was made after conducting a detailed inspection at the site and after rescheduling some of the trains through the route.

Nearly six metres of the track was replaced in the work that started around 9.30 a.m. Speed restrictions were also introduced.

Railway officials said the track was replaced as the holes might have damage to the the tracks. in the long runDuring the site inspection, the engineers found the track was weak, they said.

Final results from the Forensic Lab in Thiruvananthapuram are awaited. Soil samples and iron dusts too had been collected from the location for detailed inspection.

It was on last Thursday that 34 holes were found on the track. It was routine checking by trackmen that brought the incident to light. Though the police have ruled out the possibility of a sabotage bid, Railway authorities are yet to rule out the possibility.

According to the police, the holes were formed on the track as some sharp objects were placed on it when the train passed through the track.

They claimed that no drillers were used to make the holes. They also said that using a driller was quite impractical as local people would have noticed it.