Karnataka: Kulashekar-Padil section declared fit for traffic

MANGALURU: In less than 48 hours, the Southern Railway restored the Kulashekar -Padil section of the track, which was blocked after a massive landslide on Friday. It was certified fit for movement of traffic at 7.57am on Sunday.
The first train to pass the section is 02978 Ajmer-Ernakulam (Maru Sagar) express Special. It arrived at the spot at 8.54am and passed by the spot at 8.55am.
Palghat division officials said that more than 75 workers from the division worked day and night to clear the debris that had fallen for a few meters on the track. A portion of the retaining wall was also demolished as it was precariously perched due to loose soil. The portion of the retaining wall that had collapsed on the track was cut and removed. The overhead electric lines that were damaged in the landslide were also restored.
On Friday, a landslide occurred at around 10.40am blocking train movement on the line that connects trains running along the West Coast from South to the North, especially the central region of Mumbai.
Though the Palghat railway officials estimated the debris would be cleared in eight hours, the task proved Herculean and it took 45 hours to carry out the task. Divisional Railway Manager Trilok Kothari oversaw the entire operations till the first train passed the spot.
In spite of traffic allowed on the route, Palghat officials said that trains from Mumbai would be delayed due to availability of rakes and pairing trains. However there would be no such problems for trains originating from the South.
The debris was cleared off the tracks on Saturday evening itself and track alignment was checked. After other tests, it was certified fit for traffic on Sunday morning. The event had majorly disrupted train schedules on the West Coast with several trains cancelled, diverted or rescheduled.