Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to heavy to very heavy showers battering the city since the early hours of Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the day. The forecast warned of intense rainfall at isolated locations, raising concerns of further disruption. Mumbai's lifeline, the local train services, took a hit due to the continuous rains.
The relentless downpour through Friday night and early Saturday morning left several low-lying areas of Mumbai inundated. Waterlogging was reported in flood-prone neighbourhoods including Sion-Kings Circle, Bandra, Vile Parle, Andheri, Vashi, and Vasai-Virar. Visuals from Sion station showed train tracks submerged, reflecting the scale of water accumulation.
Delays Reported In Local Train Services
The city’s lifeline, local trains, was hit hard by the heavy rain. On the Harbour Line, services slowed down due to waterlogging on tracks between Tilaknagar and Kurla stations.
Commuters reported delays of nearly 40 to 45 minutes, with up-line services towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) suffering the most after Vadala Road station.
On the Central Line, waterlogging between Vikhroli and Kurla caused delays averaging 15 to 20 minutes, adding to the woes of daily passengers. Waterlogging near Sion station also led to delays.
Frustrated commuters turned to social media to seek updates and assistance. One passenger, stranded on a Harbour Line train, wrote on X: “Please update about Mumbai harbour line trains… they are moving very very slow. Our CSMT up train is halted between Mankhurd & Govandi. Please update will it go ahead or we have to alight at Govandi. Please update ASAP.”
Responding to the concern, Railway Seva replied: “We’re listening and will do our best to help. The concerned officials are being notified.”
Officials have urged commuters to exercise caution while travelling as the weather office has predicted the rains will continue for the next 24 hours. With forecasts of persistent downpours, Mumbaikars are bracing themselves for another challenging day of delayed trains, disrupted commutes, and flooding in vulnerable zones.
