Cyclone Biparjoy: 69 trains cancelled, 33 short-terminated, says Western Railway

NDRF personnel at the Mandvi beach ahead of the landfall of Biparjoy cyclone in Kutch. Pic/PTI

The Western Railway on Wednesday said that as many as 69 trains have been cancelled, 33 trains have been short-terminated and 27 trains have been short-originated as a precautionary measure in view of the cyclone 'Biparjoy'.

In an official statement on Wednesday, the Western Railway said, Considering the alertness for cyclone Biparjoy over Gujarat, the Western Railway has cancelled/ partially cancelled the operation of few trains as a precautionary measure in the cyclone prone areas over Western Railway.

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The statement further said, In addition to this, various safety and security precautions are also being taken by Western Railway for train passengers of these prone areas under the jurisdiction of Western Railway. Refund will be admissible as per extant rules.

According to a press release issued by Sumit Thakur - Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, "Till date 69 trains have been cancelled, 33 trains have been short-terminated, while 27 trains short-originated as a precautionary measure, in view of safety of passengers and train operations with respect to onset of cyclone Biparjoy."

Earlier, on Monday, Ashok Kumar Misra, the Western Railway General Manager, said, "We are continuously monitoring cyclone 'Biparjoy'. We have established a disaster control room at our headquarters and also deployed ADRMs at Bhuj, Gandhidam, Porbandar and Okha. Today, some trains have been cancelled due to increased wind speed in Porbandar. All trains going to coastal areas in Gujarat will be cancelled from tomorrow," the ANI had reported.

The Western Railway continues to be cautious and is actively revising train schedules to ensure safe travel. "In view of the latest weather forecast of cyclone Biparjoy affecting the coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch in the state of Gujarat, various safety and security precautions are being taken by Western Railway for the likely affected areas under the jurisdiction of Western Railway, a statement issued earlier had said.

The Director of Information and Publication Railway Board, Shivaji Sutar on Monday said that sufficient manpower and machinery have been deployed with adequate preparation to deal with any emergency.

Speaking to ANI, Shivaji Sutar said, "Disaster Management room has been activated and field staff has been put on alert mode. Emergency control rooms have been opened in Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Gandhidham. Additional helpline numbers have also been activated".

"We have deployed sufficient manpower and machinery. Our teams have also been alerted. We have sufficient locomotives ready in case of any power failure, and we are also ready with preparation to evacuate people if a train gets stuck anywhere," he added.

(with ANI inputs)