Mumbai: Suburban and long-distance train services were completely suspended on Sunday after the incessant downpour and waterlogging on several railway tracks.
Not only the railway but also taxis, buses, autos were moving at a snail's pace due due to waterlogging at several areas in the city.
Central Railway had suspended the train services for nearly 12 hours. The services were cancelled between CSMT- Thane “Due to heavy and continuous rains and accumulation of water services were suspended on Main and Harbour lines from 7.40am,” said a CR official.
He further said after the services were resumed after water slowly receded at several locations like Chinchpokli, Currey Road, Matunga, Sion, Kurla, Mulund and Thane. There was severe water logging on tracks going upto 18 inches too.
In the early morning hours, trains on Kalyan-Karjat route were stopped at 4.30am due to water logging on Ambernath-Badlapur section. There is Ulhas river, which this monsoon has been overflowing, thus flooding tracks too.
Earlier Saturday-Sunday night, water in the Barvi dam was rising at alarming rate as well. Around 4.45am, train services on the Harbour line too were shut due to water logging at Chunabhatti.
Trains had already affected on the Mumbai-Pune route with boulder collapses and mud slushing on tracks between Monkey Hill and Thakurwadi stations.
Due to this Duronto Express was regulated at Khandala station. Following the day, the CR authorities cancelled nearly 70 long distance trains, short terminated and diverted many other trains.
“In all 12 trains were stranded with 7000 passengers in it. It took time to evacuate them as even the roads were flooded and closed. We served food and water to these passengers,” said Sunil Udasi, Chief PRO, Central Railway.
Private buses were also used to evacuate people. By 11.15am, the local trains were running on Thane-Kalyan section apart from CSMT-Goregaon and Thane-Vashi.
At many other locations on Kalyan-Karjat/Kasara route, ballasts and stones which supports the rail tracks got washed away in rains. Even the signalling system and points of tracks suffered technical failures.
On the Western Railway, the situation remained less grim. The Vasai-Virar stretch was inundated with flood water. The situation affected both suburban and long distance trains. The trains were not running in the first half of Sunday.
“Train movement started on fast corridor between Vasai and Virar at 1.15pm,” said Gajanan Mahatpurkar, senior PRO, Western Railway. These trains moved cautiously on speed restrictions. The other lines on the same section opened by 2.45pm. On this stretch it rained upto 180mm through the night.
