Fifteen trains were cancelled, nine were delayed and two were partially cancelled and diverted on Wednesday due to power disruptions on the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai railway line, officials said.
Kusuma Hariprasad, Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Administration), Bengaluru, said that an Overhead Equipment (OHE) wire snapped in the mid-section between Malur and Tyakal railway stations around 2.30 pm, resulting in power disruptions. “We are investigating the cause of the breakdown, which mostly looks like a technical failure,” she told DH.
The cancelled trains were MEMU passenger trains connecting Bengaluru with surrounding towns like Kuppam, Marikuppam and Bangarpet. The delayed ones included many long-distance trains.
The Malur-Tyakal section is part of the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai double line. The disruption occurred on the up-line (from Bengaluru towards Jolarpettai). The down-line (from Jolarpettai to Bengaluru) remained unaffected, she added.
The South Western Railway (SWR) activated the emergency response system and rushed a team of engineers and officials to the spot. By 5.30 pm, the team managed to restore the line for diesel-locomotive operations. However, it was not immediately possible to run trains with electric locomotives, she added.
To ensure that no more services were affected, the railways ran all express, mail and superfast trains with diesel locomotives. Some passenger trains were also run with diesel locomotives and the rest were cancelled because there were not enough diesel locomotives. The railways is gradually phasing out diesel locomotives.
Additionally, all express, mail and superfast trains are being halted at every station to reduce passenger inconvenience. To make the track fit for the running of electric locomotives, the SWR is going for a line block (suspension of all train operations) for four hours, starting at 11 pm on Wednesday, she added.