Hassan: As many as 850 train passengers were stranded Wednesday night at both the Hassan and Mangaluru stations after eight landslides hit the Yadakumari-Sirivagilu section of the Western Ghats in Sakleshpur , bringing all rail services to a halt on the route.
Although railway personnel cleared the debris on the tracks following Wednesday's landslide, fresh landslides were reported in the section at around 3.30 pm Thursday with heavy rain lashing the region.
With train services hit, passengers on the train to Karwar, which had left Yeshwanthpur station in Bengaluru at around 7.10 pm and arrived at Hassan at around 11.30 pm, were sent in KSRTC buses to their destinations. "As many as 446 stranded passengers were ferried in KSRTC buses to various destinations and their travel fares were reimbursed in full," said senior divisional commercial manager of South Western Railway, Mysuru division, S G Yatish.
Another 397 passengers on a train from Karwar to Bengaluru were also transferred to buses owing to the disruption in rail services, he added.
The stranded passengers were given food and water by the railways , which spent Rs 74, 720 on refunding their fares.
With reports of a tree falling on the tracks a decision on resumption of train services via Sakleshpur will be taken after an assessment of the situation at around 9.30 pm Thursday, according to railway officials. There have been several landslides in the ghat section since June this year owing to the heavy rainfall.
