Title - Landslides disrupt rail line

Jammu:
Jammu-Udhampur railway traffic was once again disrupted due to landslide near tunnel-12 this morning. The authorities have cancelled morning DMU to repair the track; other trains are still running on the track.Heavy rainfall for an hour this afternoon once again led to landslide near tunnel-12 (T-12) on Jammu Udhampur rail track. As it was a minor landslide, the rail traffic was later restored after two hours, affecting two trains including the DMU. There was no report of any loss in the incident.Railway officials said due to continuous rain over the last three days, landslide struck near T-12, due to which Uttar Sampark Kranti was delayed by more than two hours.After restoration, other trains are running on time.RN Meena, Divisional Traffic Manager, Northern Railways, said, “The morning DMU from Udhampur to Jammu has been cancelled till further orders, because the restoration work is still on, but other trains are plying on the track at a slow speed.”Earlier too, due to overnight heavy rainfall for 48 hours, a major landslide occurred near tunnel-16 on August 7, and the engine of Malwa Express was stuck in the debris. The track took five days to be restored, on August 11. A landslide disrupted the train traffic again on August 13.The line is an important link for Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (JUSBRL) Project to connect Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. Construction of the line was the biggest project undertaken by the Indian Railways in the mountainous terrain which runs to some of the lofty mountain ranges of Pir Panjal and Himalayas.