After sustained efforts, the railway engineers have achieved a major breakthrough in plugging the huge breach of earthen formation, under the track near Srivaikuntam on Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur section, which was washed away by gushing flood waters on the night of December 17.
Tracks have been restored near Thathankulam Railway Station on this stretch between Seydunganallur and Srivaikuntam railway stations where the breach had forced stranding of the Chennai-bound Chendur express with 800 passengers for three days at Srivaikuntam Railway Station after flood water turned it into an island.
“After the water receded, we found that the earthen bund, along with the ballast, under the tracks had been washed away for a length of 165 metres. The breach of bund of an irrigation tank in the vicinity resulted in the earthen formation under the track disappearing for a depth of 2.5 metres,” a railway engineer said.
