Trains could ply on the railway track from 10:36 p.m. local time on SundaySurabaya, E Java (ANTARA) - Train services to and from Blitar City in East Java Province resumed after debris from a landslide blocking the railway track of KM 87+500 between the Pohgajih and Kesamben stations was cleared.
"Trains could ply on the railway track from 10:36 p.m. local time on Sunday," Public Relations Manager of Regional Operation (Daop) VIII Surabaya of the state-owned railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Luqman Arif, stated here, Monday.
KA Malabar serving the Malang-Bandung route was the first train to run on the track, he stated, adding that it can attain a maximum speed of five kilometers per hour.
The landslide that disrupted train trips from and to Blitar City was triggered by torrential rains pelting the area on Sunday evening.
The landslide disrupted several train services, including the KA 119 of Malabar, KA 376 (Penataran) serving the Blitar-Surabaya route, and KA 363 (Penataran) operating on the Surabaya-Blitar route, Arif noted.
Those trains halted at the Kepanjen, Kesamben, and Malang Kotalama stations respectively, he revealed.
Arif lauded the KAI workers for their prompt efforts in clearing out the landslide debris from the railway track to enable resumption of train trips.
Over the past two months, various cities on Java Island were lashed by heavy rains during this year's rainy season.
In February, massive flooding swamped certain areas in Semarang, the capital of Central Java Province, following downpour on Feb 5-6.
Consequently, several trains heading to the northern rail line, especially inside Semarang City, were diverted, as the floodwaters inundated some track sections.
The trains that were diverted include those served by Argo Bromo Anggrek and Dharmawangsa from Surabaya, East Java. They were diverted to Solo, Central Java.
According to the Semarang Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the floods submerged various areas in 76 neighborhoods of 10 sub-districts.
Tugu, Semarang Barat, Semarang Utara, Semarang Tengah, Semarang Selatan, Ngaliyan, Pedurungan, Semarang Timur, Gayamsari, and Genuk were the sub-districts impacted by flooding.
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Translator: AM Ibrahim, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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