SCR stations four empty trains to serve as shelters
So far, 62 trains have been cancelled and 51 have been diverted
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-10-13 03:35 GMT
Hyderabad: The South Central Railway continues to be on high alert. Railway coaches, community halls and station buildings have been opened to the public to serve as shelters. So far, 62 trains have been cancelled and 51 have been diverted. Also, most road links to Visakhapatnam have been cut off. Flights to Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry were hit and they will remain inoperational at least till Monday, said the officials.
The SCR, in a first-of-its-kind measure, has also positioned four trains with 55 empty coaches at Kakinada, Tuni, Samalkot and Rajahmundry to serve as emergency shelters.
“Affected local people have been allowed access to railway institutes/community halls at Rajahmundry and Samalkot. Also, the railway station buildings at major stations like Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Kakinada, Annavaram, Tuni and Anakapalli etc. will serve as temporary shelters,” said B. Sambasiva Rao, the CPRO of SCR.
All trains remained canceled on the Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam route and they are likely to remain so till Monday. In the Vijayawada railway division, five express trains have been canceled, and 12 others have been diverted to the Kazipet-Balarsha route.
However, there is no track damage or loss of railway assets, said Vijayawada divisional railway manager Pradeep Kumar. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport corporation has estimated a loss of approximately '3.5 crore (till Sunday evening).