The South-Central Railway (SCR) has canceled 21 trains and has diverted 10 more trains because of severe waterlogging on tracks caused by heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The heavy downpours have resulted in severe damage to the tracks especially between Kesamudram and Mahabubabad in Telangana.
List of the trains cancelled & redirected
According to the SCR notice issued on Sunday, a total of 21 trains have been cancelled including 12670 Chhapra-MGR Chennai Central, 12616 New Delhi-MGR Chennai Central, 12669 MGR Chennai Central to Chhapra and 12615 MGR Chennai-Central-New Delhi. On the other hand, ten trains were redirected including 22674 Mannargudi-Bhagat ki Kothi, 12763 Tirupati-Secunderabad, 280805 Vishhapatnam-New Delhi, and 22352 SMVT Bengaluru-Patliputra.
Relief operations for passengers
In response to the postponement of the trains, stranded passengers were transported via road to Kazipet Junction and then they were sent further on ‘scratch rakes’- which are made by using spare coaches and used for temporary purposes. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy. The PM enquired about the current situation and has ensured full assistance from the central government in addressing the problems led by heavy rainfall and flooding.
Helpline numbers issued
The railways have also set up helpline numbers for the safety of the passengers. The helpline numbers are-Kazipet-27782660, Hyderabad-27781500, Khamman-2782885 and Warangal-2782751.
Telangana’s Transport and Backward Classes (BC) Welfare Minister Poonam Prabhakar also talked with the stranded passengers at Kazipet Junction and asked about their problems. The minister also gave assurance to the passengers that the railway track would be restored and train services would restart as soon as the flood water decreased.
(With ANI inputs)
