Ongoing works at CSMT helped clear waterlogged Masjid station

CSMT redevelopment aids Central Railway in water clearance near Masjid station. Pre-monsoon measures and pump installations ongoing to prevent flooding.

MUMBAI: The ongoing redevelopment of the CSMT next to Platform 18 helped the Central Railway (CR) clear accumulated water on tracks near the Masjid station at a faster rate.

Mumbai, India - May 26, 2025: Water logging at Masjid Bunder station, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, May 26, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

On Monday morning, flood gates at the Yellow Gate pumping station were closed. Another batch of workers cleared 2 cubic meters of garbage equivalent to 40 cement bags. “As a temporary measure, we installed high-end pumps and created a channel for diverting water flow into the CSMT redevelopment site. There is a 25-30 meters deep trench dug for construction of the new station building that was used to pump out water from tracks,” said a senior CR official.

In preparation for this monsoon, CR authorities were supposed to gather 1.60 lakh cubic meters of muck, silt, and garbage from January to May 31. This stopped last week due to the rains. Sources said Masjid station was never a hotspot for water logging like Sion or Matunga stations are. This is why emergency staff was not available on the go.

Of the 112 water pumps meant to drain water from 31 critical locations on CSMT-Kasara/Karjat/Panvel corridors, the CR authorities had completed installing 40% by May 25. In fact, they were supposed to install the balance water pumps before May 29, which was installed on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, CR held an internal meeting to discuss the failures. “We have brought out the issue of incorrect prediction of rain. Until Monday morning, there was a yellow alert that was changed to a red alert in the afternoon when rains had slowed down,” said another CR official.

Another issue that came up was the inadequate cross drains at CSMT which didn’t allow a smooth flow of water. Officials explained that 600mm drains replaced the old 1100mm of arch drain crossing all the rail lines between CSMT and Masjid. Work on an additional 600mm of the drainage line will be completed in the next 2-3 days which is being done by Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), the agency carrying out the CSMT redevelopment.

To prevent water from accumulating on tracks, micro-tunnelling work is nearing completion at Sion-Kurla, Vikhroli-Ghatkopar, and Sandhurst Road. Additionally, to address waterlogging issues on the Harbour line, track levels have been raised between Kurla and Chunabhatti.

Meanwhile, the WR authorities said they had trimmed 36 trees that are around 4-meters from rail lines. As part of pre-monsoon works, they completed cleaning and desilting 58 culverts and 55.84 kms of drains. Moreover, more than 3.5 kms of drain and 2 kms of retaining wall were constructed in a year, and at least 15 locations have been provided with micro-tunnels in the last 5 years, with the installation of 104 high-capacity pumps.