Sakleshpur-Bengaluru train ride to be smoother this monsoon
Weak trees that could collapse on the tracks, interrupting train services, are being removed as a precautionary measure, the officer reveals.
Hassan: Travelling by train via Sakleshpur in Hassan to Bengaluru and Mangaluru should be smoother this monsoon as the South Western Railway (SWR) has taken various precautionary measures such as removing loose boulders and pruning tree branches to offer uninterrupted service on the route.
Frequent landslides in the ghat section of Sakleshpur during the last monsoon had brought trains to a halt on the route for days, greatly inconveniencing passengers. Unwilling to take chances this year, the South Western Railway is removing loose boulders at 20 locations and carrying out benching work for stability of the slopes at other spots, according to a railway official.
It is also taking protective measures such as netting to arrest the falling of boulders on to the tracks and pruning tree branches alongside them in the ghat section of Sakleshpur leading to the Subramanya station.
Weak trees that could collapse on the tracks, interrupting train services, are being removed as a precautionary measure, the officer reveals.
Also, patrolling has been intensified along the 55-km ghat route in Sakleshpur to look out for landslides and boulders rolling on to the tracks. Watchmen too have been stationed at 25 points in the ghat to alert the railways about any impending disaster, according to him.
In other measures, the SWR has invited tenders to keep excavators on standby in the ghat section to help it clear debris, if any, owing to landslides during the monsoon.