Mumbai rains: Suburban train services affected amid heavy downpour

A few hours of relentless rainfall led to waterlogging in several low-lying parts of Mumbai and on railway tracks, disrupting road traffic and local train services on Monday morning, officials said.

Amid the India Meteorological Department`s (IMD) warnings of thunderstorms and gusty winds, a heavy downpour battered parts of Mumbai—particularly the island city—for a couple of hours.

Intense rainfall submerged tracks on the Central Railway network at Masjid, Byculla, Dadar, Matunga, and Badlapur stations, causing delays in train services during peak morning hours.

Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Monday morning, leading to suspension of suburban train services between Wadala Road and Chhatrapati Shivaj Maharaj Terminus on Central Railway`s Harbour line from 10:25 am, while waterlogging was reported from several areas in the metropolis.

Services on the main line`s slow corridor were running normally, though the fast corridor witnessed a few signal and track changing point failures, CR Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said, as reported by PTI.

"Heavy waterlogging was also reported in the CSMT yard, affecting Up Through lines and sidings 308, 331, 347, and 231, disrupting train movements to and from platforms 5, 6, 7, 10 to 18," he informed.

"Trains slowed down at Byculla due to 3-4 inches of water. Harbour Line – from Wadala Road to CSMT – saw more than 8 inches of waterlogging. No trains are running between Wadala Road and CSMT. Slight delays between Wadala Road and Panvel on the Harbour Line. Central Line services have resumed, but with delays of around 40 minutes," the Central Railway PRO stated.

A few hours of incessant rainfall also caused waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the country`s financial capital.

Water from Hindmata was reported entering the tracks from the Dadar TT side.

Commuters noted delays on trains heading toward Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Western Railway, on the other hand, stated its corridor was unaffected by waterlogging and that trains were operating normally, although some passengers experienced delays.

A BEST spokesperson said buses on a dozen routes had to be diverted due to waterlogging at four locations the island city.

Low-lying areas such as King`s Circle, Mantralaya, Dadar TT East, Parel TT, Kalachowki, Chinchpokli, and Dadar station experienced waterlogging, hampering vehicular movement.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the highest precipitation was recorded at Nariman Point Fire Station (104 mm) in the southern tip of the city, followed by A Ward Office (86 mm), Colaba pumping station (83 mm), and Municipal Head Office (80 mm) between 9 am and 10 am.

Earlier, the IMD had issued a “Nowcast” warning predicting thunderstorms with lightning and heavy rainfall, along with gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph in isolated parts of Mumbai.

According to the latest Mumbai rains updates, IMD Mumbai has predicted light to moderate rainfall in parts of the city over the next 24 hours.

The forecast read: “Generally cloudy sky with chances of thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph and light to moderate rainfall at isolated places in the city and suburbs.”

High tide is expected at 11.24 am at 4.75 metres and again at 11.09 pm at 4.17 metres, while low tide is forecast at 5.18 pm at 1.63 metres and at 5.21 am on Tuesday at 0.04 metres, the BMC stated in its latest Mumbai rains updates.