BHUBANESWAR: Floodwaters flowing above the danger level at a railway bridge between Ichhapuram and Jhadapudi stations on Berhampur-Palasa section receded by Friday noon, prompting the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to resume train services between Berhampur and Vizianagaram on the Howrah-Chennai mainline.Passengers heaved a sigh of relief after knowing the restoration of the train services."I had booked a ticket to Bengaluru on Thursday, but my train was cancelled due to cyclone. I will have reach there by Sunday. Thankfully, the Prashanti Express started its journey today," said Dibakar Beja from Ganjam.An ECoR source said it has started allowing rescheduled trains to run in the Howrah-Chennai mainline. "We are working on to run cancelled trains to their original destinations. Some of the diverted trains are running in their original routes," said a senior railway officer.South-bound trains like Bhubaneswar-Bengaluru Prashanti Express, Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad Visakha Express and other daily trains crossed the bridge with a restricted speed of 20 km per hour. "If rain does not occur in next 24 hours, water under the bridge near Ichhapuram will go down and allow trains to cross the bridge in a normal speed," said ECoR chief public relations officer J P Mishra.Floodwaters were flowing above the danger level at the bridge till Friday morning. Keeping the situation in mind, the railways had cancelled six express trains and 14 local passenger trains.Bus services were also affected due to heavy rain since Thursday. Most of the buses reached Bhubaneswar and Cuttack late. In order to avoid flooded roads, buses had taken detours to reach their destinations."Bus services were paralysed in Ganjam district due to flood in several blocks. The bus stand at Baramunda in Bhubaneswar wore a deserted look due to heavy rain," said Rajdhani Bus Owners' Association president Sk Kamal Uddin.A small portion of a rail line between Paralakhemundi and Gunupur was washed away on Thursday night due to heavy flow of floodwaters in the area. After this, train services in the line have been stopped because it is a single line. ECoR will fill earth in the damaged portion and make it fit for running of trains soon, said a railway spokesperson.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.