Train services were interrupted in the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam section on Tuesday, following the rise in water level of the Meenachil river and the undertaking of subsequent safety precautions on the rail bridge over it.
Trains were held up on either side of the bridge between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the day since the water level rose above the bridge’s danger mark.
“Though services resumed by evening, speed curbs were imposed. This caused bunching up of trains in the sector which has only single track,” said Ernakulam Area Manager of Southern Railway Hari Krishnan.
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Suvarna Jayanthi Express was running 50 minutes late; Thiruvananthapuram-New Delhi Kerala Express was late by three hours; Kanyakumari–KSR Bengaluru Island Express was late by two hours; Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai Mail was 45 minutes late and Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express was running two hours and 20 minutes late.
Normal train traffic was restored through Ernakulam early morning on Tuesday after rainwater level receded on tracks at Ernakulam Junction (South ) and Town (North) railway stations.
Services resumed from 4 a.m., sources said.