Mumbai rain hits transport services but fails to hold back the city

Rainwater washed away the tracks near Shelu railway station

Even as heavy rainfall, waterlogging, landslides and boulder collapse affected most of the transport links of the city, the Railways and the BEST bus service managed to keep Mumbai going. Even though the Central Railway (CR) suspended its services for the most part of the day and the Konkan railway services got affected, trains on the western section ran intermittently. While 23 BEST buses broke down, the others managed to ply.

While there was extreme waterlogging near Sion, parts of the tracks near Shelu railway station got washed off. Even the Mumbai-Pune ghat section was affected due to boulder collapses. Following a massive landslide near Jite station, all the approaches to the Konkan Railway section were closed for a while.

Western Railway (WR) services also slowed down due to extensive waterlogging near Nalasopara and Vasai sections.

Tracks near Khandala Ghat were also damaged

No rail services were available between Thane and Mumbai CSMT for the most part of the day, though services in the fourth corridor between Thane and Kalyan were operational. A number of trains were also cancelled, rescheduled and short-terminated due to boulder collapses.

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Speaking to mid-day, a CR spokesperson said, "Mail/express trains are being stopped at stations to ensure passengers are less inconvenienced. Our staff and RPF teams are available in trains and at stations in case passengers need help. They are coordinating with the local people and other agencies. Basic essentials are being provided to passengers. Rail as well as road services have been affected due to heavy rainfall and overflowing of dams. We assure commuters that services will be back on track whenever it is safe. We are constantly monitoring the situation."

Passengers of Vidharbha Express were shifted to a bus

Train movements on the WR section were normal after 2.30pm when water started receding. A WR spokesperson said, "Heavy rain has been reported in the Vasai-Virar section since last night. Movement of trains was suspended on the fast corridor between Vasai Road and Virar due to waterlogging. Even though the up and down fast lines were not working for some time, both the slow lines were on track. Hence, train movement on the western line was not completely disrupted. However, about 70 suburban services were cancelled and 100 got delayed."

Sources said of the 23 BEST buses that broke down since Sunday morning, eight were repaired by late evening. Yet the rest of the fleet kept plying.

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