Landslide disrupts rail services on Koraput-Rayagada line in Odisha

Train services on the Koraput-Rayagada route were severely disrupted on Thursday after a landslide caused large boulders and mud to fall onto the tracks due to relentless rainfall.

Also Read: Several trains cancelled due to rain-induced landslides in Odisha’s Koraput

The incident occurred between Dumuriput and Damanjodi on the down line near rail post 13/22, where debris from a nearby hill slid down and obstructed the railway line.

Adding to the woes, a tree was uprooted and fell onto high-voltage electric wires between Tyda and Chimidipalli on the Visakhapatnam-Koraput rail section, further impacting rail operations.

The combination of soil, stones, and fallen trees has disrupted train movement, posing challenges for both railway staff and passengers.

Railway authorities are on high alert, and debris clearance operations have been initiated to restore normalcy on the disrupted route.

Officials attribute the incident to heavy monsoon downpours that triggered the landslides and tree fall. No casualties have been reported so far.

However, no comments were received from the railway authorities in this regard.

Worth mentioning, earlier in another incident, several trains had been cancelled due to landslides following low-pressure-induced incessant rainfall in Odisha’s Koraput district, on July 2 this year.

Normal life in Koraput was thrown out of gear as heavy rainfall triggered by a low-pressure system had led to landslides in several areas, thereby affecting train services.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) authorities had cancelled several trains, including Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express and Kirandul-Visakhapatnam Night Express, after a portion of the railway track between Koraput and Jeypore was blocked by landslides.