Kochi: Passengers had a tough time travelling to various destinations on Friday as rail and road services got severely affected, especially in northern districts.
While train operations in the Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Kayamkulam coastal route have been suspended till Saturday morning, the traffic through Shornur-Kuttipuram, Palakkad-Ottapalam and Ferok-Kallayi sections were temporarily stopped due to flooding.
“We expect to restore full traffic by Monday though operation in downline section of Palakkad- Ottapalam was restored. The other sections will be made traffic worthy in two days,” said a senior railway official.
As many as 18 long-haul trains including Amritha Express, Karaikkal Express, Kerala Express and Island Express were fully cancelled. Several trains were diverted while others like Venad were partially cancelled.
The railways started Helpdesk numbers -- 9188292595, 9188293595 and 1072 – to provide information to passengers regarding changes in train services in the next two days.
Meanwhile, the railways on Friday announced that refunds for trains cancelled since August seven can be claimed till August 15.
