Rail traffic to Nagercoil remains disrupted

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPT. 25. Rail traffic between Thiruvananthapuram central station and the Nagercoil junction, that has been disrupted since Monday evening due to a major landslip at Mamottokada between Kuzhithurai and Eraniel railway stations, will be restored only by tomorrow.

About 1,000 cubic metres of soil from the right side of the 35- metre-long and 15-metre-high cutting caved in around 6-30 p.m. on Monday due to the torrential rains that had been lashing for the last few days disrupting rail traffic in the stretch. The incident occurred 50 km away from the Thiruvananthapuram central.

A senior railway official told The Hindu that soil that had fallen on the railway track had been removed and the 6525 Island Express bound for Bangalore from Kanyakumary was the first train to pass through the stretch with around 80 passengers at 8 p.m.

As the railways are expecting fresh slippages in the stretch and to remove the remaining soil that has caved in, a line block will be enforced in the night to carry out the restoration work. The railways hope to remove the remaining soil by tomorrow.

The railways have pressed into service over 200 workers, two JCB's, one proclaim machine and six tipper lorries to remove the soil on a war-footing basis and to restore normal train services.

The landslip has occurred for the first time at this particular spot. Railway sources said the cutting will be reprofiled to prevent further slippage and a toe wall will be constructed later. Minor slippages are occurring in the stretch and it will not hamper the train operations to Nagercoil.

The Divisional Railway Manager, Mr. S. Marcus, the Senior Divisional Engineer, Mr. P. Jayakumar, and other officials are camping near the spot since Monday evening overseeing the work.

In 1998, train services between the Thiruvananthapuram Central and Nagercoil Junction were suspended from November 5 to December 25 due to two dozen landslips in the section. Three persons had lost their lives while they were engaged in removing the soil that has caved into the track near Idichakkaplamoodu.

The railways had cancelled all passenger trains between Nagercoil and Thiruvananthapuram central today. The passengers who arrived by the Madurai-bound Guruvayur Express were transshipped from Kuzhithurai railway station in buses. The 6525 Island Express for Bangalore will commence its journey from Thiruvananthapuram central instead of Kanyakumary.

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