Railway track theft exposes Willingdon security gap

Nearly 500 metres of disused railway track has been found dismantled and missing from the high-security Willingdon Island area in Kochi, triggering parallel inquiries by the Cochin Port Authority and railway authorities into a suspected large-scale theft of public infrastructure.

- HD Bureau

The missing section formed part of a railway siding linking the port’s Q9 Berth with the wider rail network. The line passed in front of the Tata Global Beverages office, formerly associated with Tata Tetley, and crossed the road leading to the front of the historic Harbour Terminus Railway Station before merging with the broader railway system serving the port area. Officials are examining how such a long stretch of steel rail could have been removed from a restricted zone without being detected at the time of dismantling. The area is not an open public corridor and is subject to access controls because of its proximity to port facilities, cargo movement zones, security posts and installations connected with maritime operations. The incident has raised concerns that the removal may have required planning, equipment, transport access and knowledge of the location. Railway tracks of this length are not ea