Buses back on roads; train services remain cancelled

Transport system likely to be restored today

Hyderabad: Post landfall of cyclone Phailin in east coast regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, most train services remain cancelled while the bus services were restored on Sunday. All train services between Howrah and Visakhapatnam remained cancelled for the second day. Over 17 express train services in limits of South Central Railway (SCR) that were bound to Puri, Bhubaneswar and Palasa were cancelled.

On a whole, more than 70 train services including express and passenger trains remained cancelled due to the damage to railway tracks in coastal Odisha and also in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Authorities cancelled the trains on some sections as a precautionary measure as the extent of damage to tracks was still not clear. A decision to restore the services may be taken after an inspection by the officials. An official of East Coast Railways (ECoR) said all trains originating and terminating at Bhubaneswar and Puri stood cancelled.

Meanwhile, SCR reduced cancellation of trains by diverting through lines via Nagpur. “Over 37 Express trains that were bound or to pass through Vijayawada, Kazipet, Palasa (worst hit by Phailin) were diverted via Nagpur,” said Sambasiva Rao, Chief Public Relation Officer of SCR, speaking to The Hans India. Many long distance trains from Chennai and Mumbai heading towards Howrah were either cancelled or diverted.

The trains that have been cancelled include Bhu baneswar-Tirupati, Puri- Tirupati, Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad, Tirupati -Bilaspur, Bhubaneswar- Mumbai and Tirupati- Bhubaneswar express trains. The authorities have also cancelled Vijayawada- Raigadh, Machilipatnam- Visakha, Vijayawada -Visakha and Kakinada- Visakha passenger trains.