Rail traffic in the State was disrupted for the second consecutive day on Saturday due to rain-related calamities in the northern districts.
Though Railways restored the train services from Kayamkulam via Alappuzha to Ernakulam early in the day, trains are running only up to Thrissur as the Palakkad-Kozhikode corridor remains out of bounds for train operations.
A landslip near Ottappalam and safety concerns over the Feroke railway bridge prevented resumption of train traffic on the Palakkad-Kozhikode stretch. Railways have sought the help of the Navy and National Disaster Management Authority to look into the vibrations of the second pier of the bridge, a top railway official said.
The adjacent road overbridge has been declared unfit for vehicular traffic.
Trains originating from the railway terminals in the State and proceeding via Konkan Railway have also been hit. Long-distance mail and express trains are running from Ernakulam via Thiruvananthapuram Central via Nagercoil and Madurai.
A landslip near the tunnel at Nemom last night on the single line from Thiruvanananthapuram to Kanyakumari has forced Railways to enforce a speed limit of 45 km per hour on the stretch. The earth was removed in one-and-a-half hours and there was no damage to the rail infrastructure.
Water level down
Divisional Railway Manager Shirish Kumar Sinha said the water level below the railway bridges across the Periyar, Chalakudy, Pampa and Manimala had come down. However, train traffic would be possible only after the Palakkad-Kozhikode corridor was opened, he added.
Railways operated trains to Nilambur and two passenger trains in the Kozhikode-Mangalaru corridor, sources said. Railways cancelled, partially cancelled and diverted over two dozen trains on Saturday. Train 22639 MGR Chennai Central-Alappuzha Superfast, 16604 Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru Maveli Express, 16629 Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru Malabar Express, 16347 Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru Express, 16307 Alappuzha–Kannur Executive Express, 12645 Ernakulam Junction–Nizamuddin Millennium Superfast, 16188 Ernakulam Junction–Karaikal Ernakulam Express, 16359 Ernakulam–Patna Express, 16305 Ernakulam– Kannur Intercity Express, 16315 KSR Bengaluru–Kochuveli Express were cancelled.
