Mumbai rain havoc: Trains delayed, 9 flights diverted & 2 lakes overflow as monsoon returns after a brief break

After a brief respite, heavy rains accompanied by thunder returned to Mumbai on Wednesday morning, delaying local train services, causing inconvenience to office-goers and diversion of flights.

Long-distance train services towards Gujarat remained disrupted due to waterlogging in the Vasai-Virar section in neighbouring Palghar district and at several locations in south Gujarat. Operations on the Mumbai-Pune route were also yet to be fully restored following landslides in the Bhor Ghat section on Monday.

Videos showed long queues of passengers wading through flooded tracks using mobile phone flashlights even after midnight following suspension of suburban services beyond Vasai Road in Palghar on Tuesday evening.


Tulsi lake, one of the seven reservoirs supplying drinking water to Mumbai, started overflowing late at night following heavy rainfall in its catchment area, hours after the nearby Vihar lake overflowed, civic officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast intermittent light to moderate rainfall in the city and suburbs during the day.

As many as nine Mumbai-bound flights were diverted to nearby airports due to inclement weather and low visibility at the Mumbai International Airport, sources said.

All the diverted flights later returned and landed at the Mumbai airport, they said.

Local train services, considered the lifeline of Mumbai, on both the Central Railway and Western Railway networks were running late by 25 to 30 minutes, while Metro and civic bus services operated normally.

Suburban services on a section of the Central Railway (CR) network were delayed after ballast beneath the tracks was washed away between Neral and Shelu stations in neighbouring Raigad district due to heavy rainfall in the early hours.

The ballast washout near Neral was noticed at around 4 am. Both tracks were attended to immediately and train services resumed before 6.15 am, CR Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila told PTI.

Restoration work in the Bhor Ghat section between Karjat and Lonavala stations was still underway following the landslide earlier this week, he said. As a result, several long-distance trains have been diverted, cancelled or short-terminated.

WR Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said the movement of mail and express trains remained suspended from 7.20 pm on Tuesday till 6.50 am on Wednesday due to waterlogging near a bridge close to Sachin station in the Surat area. Train operations resumed after the water receded.

He said 39 trains had been cancelled, 21 short-terminated and 46 rescheduled due to the disruption.

"Local trains are running between Churchgate, Virar and Dahanu with delays of 25 to 30 minutes, mainly due to speed restrictions between Vasai, Nalasopara and Virar," Abhishek said, adding tracks were inundated, but the water was below the danger level.

The WR suspended suburban services beyond Vasai Road around 4.30 pm on Tuesday, after floodwaters rose above track level, prompting hundreds of stranded commuters to walk from Vasai to Virar through knee-deep water along the railway tracks.

Videos circulating on social media showed showed commuters protesting at Vasai Road station and travelling from Vasai to Virar in tractors after train services were suspended.