Pune: The Central Railway (CR) has restored the second rail line between Karjat and Lonavla in the South East ghat section, paving the way for resumption of Deccan Queen and the Intercity Express services from Thursday.The services of both the trains were suspended following landslides on July 6 that struck multiple locations between Thakurwadi and Monkey Hill, severely disrupting the vital rail link between Pune and Mumbai.Central Railway chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said while work on the third line continues at full pace, the second line was cleared for operations late Tuesday evening. “The Central Railway team has worked round the clock for the past 10 days to normalise services. The middle line was restored on July 7, and after successfully testing it with three goods trains, the CSMT-Latur Express was the first passenger train to pass through the section at 11.18pm on Wednesday,” Nila said. The train transited the affected patch at a cautious speed of 20 kmph.The landslides led to the cancellation or diversion of 30 trains, including Deccan Queen, Intercity Express, and Deccan Express. While the Pragati and Sinhagad Expresses resumed shortly after the middle line was opened on July 7, the continued suspension of other key trains caused significant hardship for daily commuters. To bridge the gap, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) operated 200 additional bus trips between the two cities.The restoration was a monumental task involving over 1,200 labourers, engineers, and senior officials working in treacherous terrain and heavy rainfall. “To expedite the work, we deployed heavy machinery, including boulder special trains, Unimat, Duomatic, and Poclain machines, as well as JCBs. Special labour trains were also used to transport staff to the site,” the CPRO added.Sources said the full schedule of trains is likely to be restored by July 18 as work on the final track nears completion.The news has been met with significant relief by the thousands who depend on these “lifeline” trains. Anand Chaugule, a resident of Kasba Peth who commutes daily to Mumbai for work, welcomed the move. “It is a major relief. The railway authorities deserve credit for restoring these trains ahead of the July 18 target. Many people, including myself, were facing extreme difficulties with the commute over the last week,” he said.
