Kozhikode: Train services between Kozhikode and Mangaluru were disrupted for at least three hours on Monday night after an asbestos sheet from the roof of a house and several trees fell on the tracks in the Areekkad area. 

The two incidents took place within a few metres of each other, in the stretch between Kallayi and Feroke railway stations. Around 10 pm the trees were removed and the path towards Shornur was cleared.

The asbestos sheet got entangled in the electric line above the track, causing a power outage. As a result, the Tirunelveli–Jamnagar Express was forced to stop near Kallayi station at 6.57 pm. The train was already running 40 minutes behind schedule.

After several hours of effort by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Fire and Rescue Services, the track toward Shoranur was cleared. “The debris has been removed, and the Yesvantpur Express has passed,” an RPF official told Onmanorama.

However, the Tirunelveli–Jamnagar Express remains halted just over 200 metres from the site where the trees fell, as the track toward Mangaluru is yet to be cleared. Many passengers have reportedly left the train in search of alternate travel options.