Locals remained operational despite waterlogged tracks

Railway tracks between Sion and Kurla on the central line, Matunga and Mahim on the western line, and the tracks along Mankhurd, Govandi, Kurla and Tilak Nagar on the harbour line reported waterlogging due to the heavy and incessant rains

Mumbai: Despite the heavy downpour across the city and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Monday, local train services remained operational throughout the day, although with some delays in the schedule. Railway tracks between Sion and Kurla on the central line, Matunga and Mahim on the western line, and the tracks along Mankhurd, Govandi, Kurla and Tilak Nagar on the harbour line reported waterlogging due to the heavy and incessant rains.

Waterlogging on the tracks of Dadar railway station on Central Railway line. The water accumulated due to the heavy rainfall and the overflowing of a nullah. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

The Dharavi nullah, a 1.8 metre-wide nullah that passes through Sion, Matunga and Dadar, emptying into the Arabian Sea, also runs along the Central and Western Railway (CR and WR) tracks. The nullah was clogged, preventing proper drainage of rainwater, leading to overflowing. This resulted in the accumulation of water on the tracks between Matunga and Mahim on the WR lines, and between Kurla and Sion on the CR lines, which is a low-lying area.

“Due to the continuous heavy rains, the water accumulated on the rail lines. But the water soon receded, allowing the services to function without hindrances,” said a WR official. The WR is equipped with three high-powered pumps of 30 horsepower (HP) each, along with five 50 HP pumps that were installed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which helped to drain water efficiently. The WR had also employed 110 dewatering pumps, along with the deployment of staff, to keep the drains clear of floating plastic garbage.

“The water was slowly draining, which was an issue but the trains continued to operate through the day with a delay of 15-30 minutes,” said a CR official. While there were five trains cancelled on the WR lines, more than 100 trains were cancelled on the CR lines, according to sources from the railways.

The authorities kept monitoring water levels on the tracks. A red alert was issued for Dadar, Matunga, Sion, Kurla, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Kanjurmarg, Mulund, Mankhurd and Panvel for heavy rainfall. Trains are equipped to function even if the water level is 100 mm on the tracks and hence, it wasn’t an issue, railway officials said.

On the Harbour line, tracks in low-lying areas of Mankhurd, Govandi, Kurla and Tilak Nagar were waterlogged, leading to delays in train services. Stations in Kurla, Chembur, Chunabhatti, Kurla LTT and Tilak Nagar were jammed, also leading to the delay. Services on the main line, from CSMT to Kalyan, were delayed owing to low visibility due to heavy rains.

“The railways were exemplary in train running amid heavy rains, which was operational with delays, even as road transport had been stuck. We could see railway staff standing on the rail lines monitoring the water levels,” said Nandkumar Deshmukh, member of the railway passenger association.