Services on major sections of Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) that were stalled due to heavy rainfall and flooding of tracks over the last few weeks became operational on Friday, officials said. At least 36 Mumbai-Pune intercity train services were restored by the CR on Friday, they said. The CR, so far, has incurred more than Rs 100 crore loss due to cancellation of 50 long-distance trains on the Mumbai-Pune route, train services on which was partially restored on Thursday. On August 1, long-distance and local train services on CR were disrupted after boulders fell on a section of rail tracks, besides heavy rain. Local train services on Kalyan-Karjat route had been restored after they were shut for more than 48 hours. Long-distance train services on the Kasara Ghat route were restored on the same day. In the Mumbai division, services were disrupted between Vasai and Virar, especially on July 2 and August 4. Meanwhile, Western Railway’s Vadodara and Ahmedabad divisions too experienced disruptions due to heavy rain between July 31 and August 10, forcing the authorities to cancel several long-distance trains. According to WR sources, a survey of each of the affected locations was conducted by a team of officers, while the situation was closely monitored by the headquarters. Officials said, resources like rubble, quarry dust and ballast, required for restoration work, were arranged from nearest available divisions along with required manpower. “For the first time on WR, inflatable rafts were procured for rescue operations by Vadodara division. Looking into the success of these rafts in reaching out to the affected, more such rafts will be procured for other divisions to counter such emergencies,” an official from WR said. Ravinder Bhakar, CPRO, WR, said, “The restoration work on all sections have been completed with the dedicated efforts by the staff and officers. The employees who showed exemplary work beyond the call of duty were felicitated and rewarded on the occasion of Independence Day.” Meanwhile, the CR has so far refunded a total of Rs13 crore, while the WR refunded Rs 12 crore to commuters against cancellation of tickets.
