NEW DELHI: In an effort to resume connectivity with Odisha’s Puri in the aftermath of the devastation wreaked by cyclone Fani, the Railways Wednesday said it will start normal services from the tourist town by May 12 but the complete restoration of the severely damaged railway station can take up to three months.
Extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ made landfall in the coastal town on May 3, unleashing copious rain and windstorm with speeds of up to 175 kmph, and left behind a trail of destruction in 18 districts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The Railways had cancelled 595 trains since the cyclone hit the state on May 3 and has so far managed to restore 141 of them, including 34 trains originating from Bhubaneshwar.
“Today (Wednesday) we have restored three pairs of express trains from Puri and we will gradually increase the number. This decision has been taken by factoring in the repair work of the over-head wires, poles and the signalling system that needs to be done. By May 12, we will resume normal services of trains from Puri. However, repair work of the Puri railway station and the Puri coach maintenance complex will take up to three months as these have been severely damaged,” East Coast Railway (ECoR) chief spokesperson J P Mishra said. (AGENCIES)
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