The middle line of the ghat section on the Mumbai-Pune railway corridor was made operational for goods trains on Wednesday. The corridor, which had been cut off for two weeks after tracks on all three lines were damaged due to multiple boulder collapses and mudslides, is expected to resume full operations by August 20.
“We have made the middle line fit for goods trains with speed restrictions,” said Sunil Udasi, chief PRO, Central Railway.
Senior railway officials said they will be running goods trains initially for safety reasons. “Goods trains typically are heavier than passenger trains and hence exert more load. If there are any issues that are flagged during the running of the goods trains, there is no threat to passengers. Hence this call has been taken,” a senior CR official said.
The ghat section has three lines, the Down line (towards Pune), Up line (towards Mumbai) and the middle line, which is used for emergencies and to move bankers, which are additional engines attached to passenger trains on the ghats. While the Up line is more or less fit, CR is working to commission the Down line by August 16.
CR has had to cancel hundreds of trains over the past two weeks leading to losses of over ₹13 crore in just ticket refunds. Senior officials, however, said even after the three lines are commissioned, the repercussions will be felt for nearly a month. “The line will be commissioned with speed restrictions, which will hamper the regular schedules,” a senior CR official said.
