Landslide Near Mansa Devi Hill Halts Train Services On Dehradun-Haridwar Route

Train traffic on one of Uttarakhand’s busiest rail stretches ground to a halt on Monday after a fresh landslide thundered down the Mansa Devi hill, not far from Haridwar’s Bhimgoda tunnel. The debris buried tracks on the vital Haridwar-Dehradun line, forcing a suspension of services and leaving passengers stranded.

Landslide Hits Haridwar; Halts Trains On This Route

According to Telangana Today, the collapse occurred near the Kali Mata temple when a huge section of the slope gave way without warning. Within moments, rocks and loose soil came crashing down, smothering the railway track that connects Haridwar with Dehradun. The slide ripped through the iron netting meant to shield the line, leaving the protective mesh in tatters. Railway staff and district officials rushed to the spot, but by then services had been suspended, stranding passengers mid-journey.

No lives were lost, but the disruption was serious enough to spark alarm. An official at the site admitted that the nets couldn’t withstand the sheer force of the debris. They further added that clearing the rubble could take longer than expected.

This was not an isolated event. Barely a month ago, on August 5, another landslide in the same belt had brought both the Bhimgoda road and nearby tracks to a standstill. That episode was caught on CCTV: massive boulders tumbling down, striking a motorcycle, while three men sprinted to safety in a split second. The cause was traced to relentless monsoon rains that had destabilized the hillside.

Also Read: Stampede At Mansa Devi Temple In Haridwar Claims 6 Lives, Injures 28 Amid Sawan Rush

Most Affected Regions

Steel barriers and safety nets were installed earlier this year to shield Haridwar’s crucial road and rail arteries, yet the latest collapse shows how precarious the slopes remain. Experts have long warned that the Mansa Devi hill, with its sharp incline and waterlogged soil during monsoon, is a disaster-prone stretch.

The concern goes beyond trains and traffic. This corridor draws thousands of devotees each day to the Kali Mata temple, the famed Mansa Devi shrine above, and to the ghats of Har Ki Pauri nearby. Any further slope failure risks not just infrastructure but lives in one of India’s most crowded pilgrimage hubs.

The broader picture is even more concerning. Uttarakhand has been pummelled by weeks of incessant rain that has triggered flash floods, cloudbursts, and slope collapses across the Himalayas. Officials say the danger is far from over, as river levels are rising, slopes remain unstable, and fresh landslides are likely, as stated by Telangana Today.

Also Read: This 20-Inch Viral Samosa In Haridwar Has Left Netizens Stunned; They Name It “Burj Khalifa Samosa”

For now, crews are working round the clock to clear the Bhimgoda tunnel stretch. But there’s no clarity as to when services on the Dehradun-Haridwar line will resume. Until then, one of Uttarakhand’s key pilgrimage links remains choked with mud and stone. It serves as a reminder of how vulnerable the region is when the mountains decide to move.

Cover Image Courtesy: Ssrirammt/Wikimedia Commons