A Konkan Railway train passes through the lush green environs in Ratnagiri district.
Credit: MB/File Photo
Mumbai: Train services of the Konkan Railway have completely paralysed following a major landslide in Raigad and Ratnagiri districts as Maharashtra’s coastal belt continued to be pounded by heavy rains.
The soil slip occurred at Diwankhavati-Vinhere section on Sunday evening resulting in the mess.
Top officials of the Navi Mumbai-headquartered Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) reached the spot and began the restoration work.
Several trains were cancelled, diverted, regulated or rescheduled owing to the landslide.
Full normalcy of the services are expected only by Tuesday.
Thousands of passengers were stranded in KR stations as the road traffic too was badly affected because of the heavy downpour and inundation.
Over the weekend, the coastal Konkan belt of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts have been experiencing heavy rainfall.
“A soil slip took place at KM 79/4-6 between Diwankhavati-Vinhere section of Ratnagiri region of Konkan Railway at 1648 hrs on Sunday. Restoration works are in progress,” KRCL Chairman and Managing Director Santosh Kumar Jha said.
“Lot of mud and boulders have come on the tracks and these are being removed on war footing,” he said, adding that the KR is in touch with the Maharashtra government and running buses to clear the passengers.
This is the second disruption on the Konkan Railway in a week’s time.
Last week, services on the Konkan Railway route were affected due to waterlogging in the Pernem tunnel in the Madure-Pernem section in Goa because of heavy rainfall.