Konkan trains back to normal

Though most of the 12 trains on the route are running on time, the Kurla-Mangalore Express is reported to be still running late by nearly 10 hours. It has been rescheduled from Kurla today and will leave the terminus by the midnight of July 13 instead of the scheduled time of 3.15 pm. However, railway officials claimed that the train would resume its normal time from Tuesday.

The Konkan route has been besieged with problems since the monsoon began. The tracks have been regularly inundated with water. Muck and boulders falling occasionally on the tracks have addedto the problem. Long distance trains like the Netravati Express and the Rajdhani Express have been delayed by an average of over 10 hours during the last two weeks.

Though KRC officials maintain that the services on the route would not be suspended, the recent landslides have led to fears that travel along the Konkan route may not remain smooth during the rains. 8220;It all depends on the strength of the monsoon, but we will not risk lives of passengers, even if that means suspension of services,8221; an official said.

Several trains on the Konkan Railway had been re-routed after a landslide at Adavali brought services to a stop on July 9. Long distance trains like the Netravati Express and Rajdhani Express were diverted through South Central railway while the up and down Madgaon Express was cancelled at Mumbai CST and Madgaon respectively.

In the first incident last week, the Netravati Express, which carries nearly 1,000 passengers to Kochi frm the city and back daily, had been late by nearly 18 hours. TheKurla Mangalore Superfast Express had also been delayed by an average of 14 hours on three days the same week.