Ten trains running on the Kazipet-Vijayawada section were cancelled and 27 others diverted, leaving thousands of passengers stranded through most of Monday night. The trains had to be cancelled due to flooding of the tracks between Gundratimadugu and Dornakal Stations. While most people returned home after getting their ticket money refunded, the rest were packed off in other trains. The Secunderabad railway station saw a huge throng of passengers, stuck there right till the morning hours of Tuesday.
Authorities could clear the rush only later in the day. “We were to attend a family function at Vijayawada but there is no alternative train available, so we will be missing the occasion,” said Kaveri P., a passenger who waited through the night with her seven-member family to board another train heading in their direction. Many passengers returned home on Tuesday morning, unable to get trains to their destinations despite waiting through the night without proper shelter. “I had an interview appointment today at 9 am in Tirupati but I am still stuck at Secunderabad station. I had a reserved ticket but despite that I was not accommodated in any other train. The railway authorities are very insensitive towards passengers who have emergencies. Many have returned dejected from the station,” said Vijay Goud, a student.
Meanwhile, the SCR authorities have announced two special trains to clear the passenger rush, one from Vishakhaptnam at 10.30 pm on Tuesday and another from Secunderabad at 9.30 pm on Wednesday, as a large number of passengers are still waiting to get to their destinations. Despite meetings of the highest level of the South Central Railway authorities conducted before the onset of the monsoon to review monsoon preparedness, cancellation of trains continue, leading to immense inconvenience to passengers.
The story repeats itself every monsoon season, year after year. The authorities fail to find solutions to resolve flooding of tracks due to heavy rainfall. However, officials say that monsoon patrolling has helped them identify submerged tracks and cancel trains on time averting mishaps. Even as railway officials remained on ground duty throughout Monday night and early part of Tuesday morning, passengers suffered greatly because of cancelled or delayed trains. However, officials said that most of the trains which were diverted were running late but reaching their destinations. Train services were cancelled as a precautionary measure and were resumed as soon as the water levels receded.