Complete restoration of Mumbai-Pune rail corridor to take another 48 hours

The disruption has severely affected long-distance train operations, with CR cancelling 10 of the 45 trains between Mumbai and Pune over the past two days

Mumbai: Train services on the busy Mumbai-Pune corridor, which have been disrupted since July 6 after heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section, are unlikely to return to normal for another 48-50 hours, according to officials familiar with the matter.

CR has deployed 1,100 personnel, including engineers and labourers, to restore the Karjat-Lonavala section following landslides.

The disruption has severely affected long-distance train operations, with CR cancelling 10 of the 45 trains between Mumbai and Pune over the past two days. Officials said the cancellations are likely to continue at least until the end of the week as restoration work progresses.

According to engineers from Central Railway (CR), a 5-6 km stretch between Monkey Hill and Thakurwadi stations has emerged as the problem area. Two of the three rail lines between the two stations were impacted by landslides.

“Complete restoration will take another 48-50 hours. The mudslide caused by the rains severely impacted the Down line, as the soil and ballast beneath it has been washed away. It has created a 60-metre-deep cavity, stretching 15 meters in length,” said a CR engineer, requesting anonymity.

CR has deployed 1,100 personnel, including engineers and labourers, to restore this section. “We had infused 12-15 tonnes of solid stones filled in gunny bags since Tuesday. However, the heavy rains last night (July 8-9) washed away everything. We had already cleared 60 tonnes of debris and muck that had drifted downwards from the hills,” said a CR engineer.

Railway authorities said they had undertaken landslide-prevention works in the ghat sections and completed drainage improvements across the suburban network to prevent waterlogging, but the fierce monsoon spell exposed the limitations of these preparations. They are now worried about July 15, when another bout of heavy rain is expected in the region.

As part of its monsoon preparedness, CR had focused on the vulnerable Kalyan-Lonavala-Karjat and Kasara-Igatpuri ghat sections, officials said. In collaboration with Konkan Railway and with technical guidance from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, CR had carried out several protective works, including the installation of rockfall barriers, retaining walls, gabion structures, rockfall catch pits, protective fencing, and the strengthening of tunnel portals.

Despite these measures, a major landslide occurred between Thakurwadi and Monkey Hill on July 6, bringing train movement on the Mumbai-Pune route to a complete halt. Several trains were cancelled, while many others were diverted or delayed.

Railway officials said changing weather patterns and the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events demand more robust and long-term infrastructure solutions rather than relying solely on conventional monsoon preparedness measures.