PUNE: One of the three railway lines at the landslide-hit section between Thakurwadi Cabin and Monkey Hill was cleared on Tuesday night by Central Railway officials, allowing the temporary movement of trains between Pune and Mumbai.At 10.50 pm, the middle line was declared fit for train operations with a speed restriction of 30 kmph between Monkey Hill and Thakurwadi. With the track now operational, some of the diverted trains will return to their original routes, officials said.Pune Railway Division’s Divisional Commercial Manager and PRO, Hemant Kumar Behera, said two intercity trains — Pragati Express and Sinhagad Express — departed from Pune for Mumbai on Wednesday morning.“Other trains, including the Deccan Queen and the Intercity Express, have been cancelled for Wednesday. The Deccan Express is also expected to operate from Pune as per its scheduled afternoon departure. Last night and in the early hours of Wednesday, after the line reopened, two trains — LTT-Coimbatore Express and Dadar-Sainagar Shirdi Express — arrived in Pune from the Mumbai side. Another train also departed from Pune in the early hours of Wednesday. Additionally, the original routes of two diverted trains have been restored, while two trains that were earlier short-terminated have also resumed their normal operations,” the official said.He added that restoration work on the remaining two railway lines was still underway.“We expect train services between Pune and Mumbai to return to normal by this afternoon or evening. However, we have not yet received any confirmation on when the other two lines in the ghat section will be restored. Several trains are still running on diverted routes, and the Railways is providing all possible assistance to passengers. Bulk SMS alerts regarding train delays and diversions are also being sent to passengers so they are informed in advance,” he said.
