Train services on Howrah-Visakhapatnma route restored

Train services on the vital Howrah-Visakhapatnam route, which were hit after Cyclone Phailin battered the eastern coast, were restored today.
While the Howrah-Puri section was opened to passenger traffic yesterday afternoon, the stretch between Khurda Road station to Palasa and Visakhapatnam was restored today, said a railways spokesperson here.
With the restoration of service on the entire route, train services have resumed to the southern states and from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar, he said.
According to an East Coast Railway (ECoR) statement, 16 trains originating from the the zone including Bhubaneswar-Mumbai Konark express will leave as per schedule today.
Three trains will, however, remain cancelled while the services of five trains will be rescheduled.

Railways had on Saturday announced cancellation of scores of trains and diversion of about a dozen trains running between Howrah and Chennai after the Howrah-Visakhapatnam section was closed to rail traffic as a precautionary measure before Cyclone Phailin made landfall near Gopalpur in Odisha.
Structural damage was reported in some of the stations in ECoR due to the cyclone. There were also reports of uprooting of trees along the tracks and non-functional over-head equipment and signalling systems.