MUMBAI: Normal train operations on the Mumbai–Pune ghat section are unlikely to resume before July 17, with Railway beginning to send advance cancellation messages to passengers holding confirmed tickets for several trains as restoration work on the landslide-hit corridor continues.Most of the cancelled services are trains operating between Mumbai and Pune and other destinations within Maharashtra, where railway officials said passengers could still access alternative modes of transport.Passengers have started receiving SMS alerts informing them that their trains have been cancelled due to operational reasons.Central Railway’s chief public relations officer, Swapnil Nila, said the railway had deliberately decided to notify passengers well in advance instead of announcing cancellations at the last minute.“Cancellation messages are being sent because it would become difficult for passengers to make alternative travel arrangements if they are informed at short notice. We also require longer traffic-free blocks on the tracks to carry out restoration work safely and efficiently,” he said.Mumbai resident Ritika Shah, who received a cancellation message for her train scheduled to depart for Kolhapur on Friday. She said she had also been unable to secure bookings on the Mahalaxmi Express for next week.The railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday reviewed restoration work in the 27-km Khandala–Karjat ghat sectionVaishnaw said all trains currently operating on the single restored line would continue to run with two locomotives because the slip line used for attaching and detaching banker engines remains out of service after sustaining heavy damage.The minister added that moving construction material and heavy machinery to several damaged locations has been difficult because of the terrain and incessant rain.One of the three railway lines in the ghat section was reopened on Tuesday after train services between Mumbai and Pune remained suspended for nearly 44 hours following landslides at two locations in the Lonavala ghat.Trains are currently operating under a speed restriction of 30kmph.Continuous rainfall has further slowed operations, and railway officials said there is a possibility of another spell of heavy downpour around July 15, which could pose fresh challenges to the restoration effort.According to railway officials, restoration work has been completed at six of the nine damaged locations identified in the project.At present, around 24 to 25 trains are being operated in both directions each day using the single restored line, while work continues simultaneously at the remaining sites.
