ECoR to regulate, cancel passenger trains due to cyclone

Bhubaneswar: East Coast Railway has planned to regulate and cancel about 24 passenger trains between Visakhapatnam and Bhadrak on the Howrah-Chennai Main Line route tommorow in view of Cyclone Phailin which is hit the eastern coast.

The trains which will either be regulated and cancelled are Puri-Cuttack-Puri passenger, Paradeep-Cuttack passenger, Cuttack-Paradeep passenger, Puri-Gunupur-Puri passenger, Puri-Rourkela passenger, Puri-Cuttack passenger, Bhadrak-Cuttack-Bhadrak passenger and Cuttack-Palasa-Cuttack passenger trains, an ECoR official said.

Apart from these, local trains on the branch line to Paradeep, Puri, Angul and Talcher would also be cancelled or regulated, he said.

Operations of Palasa-Bhubaneswar-Palasa passenger, Bhubaneswar-Chhatrapur-Bhubaneswar passenger, Visakhapatnam-Palasa-Visakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam-Palasa-Visakhapatnam MEMU, Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam MEMU, Khurda Road-Puri passenger, Talcher-Puri passenger, Angul-Puri passenger, Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar passenger, Kendujhargarh-

Bhubaneswar passenger, Palasa-Gunupur passenger Cuttack-Brahmapur passenger, Puri-Paradeep-Puri Express, Puri-Barbil Express, Puri-Santragachhi passenger and Khurda Road -Kharagpur-Khurda Road passenger, would also be affected.

ECoR has planned special relief trains during any unexpected situation for carrying relief and restoration material to disaster-hit areas, the official said, adding extra diesel locomotives have been requisitioned in case there is a problem in running electric locomotives due to snapping of overhead electric wires.

The Railway administration has made special arrangements to facilitate passengers and ECoR has also opened an Emergency Control manned by senior officials round-the-clock at major places to co-ordinate smooth running of trains, he said.

Additional refund counters and special inquiry counters have been opened and special catering service is also being planned at major stations and on-board various long distance trains by deputing additional staff, he added