Mumbai Rains: Heavy rain disrupts Western Railway services; over 20 long-distance trains stranded

Heavy rain and widespread waterlogging brought Western Railway operations to a standstill on Monday, disrupting more than 40 train services and leaving over 20 long-distance trains stranded across Maharashtra and south Gujarat as floodwaters submerged key sections of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail corridor.

Railway authorities said services were severely affected due to waterlogging between the Vasai Road-Virar and Saphale-Palghar sections, with restoration efforts continuing through the day.




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As of 1.50 pm, at least 22 long-distance trains had been regulated at stations including Virar, Vangaon, Palghar, Dahanu Road and Valsad after tracks became inundated.

According to Western Railway, at least 10 trains were cancelled, eight were rescheduled, while several others were diverted or short-terminated because of heavy rain, waterlogging and a landslide.

The disruption intensified after parts of Maharashtra's Palghar district received nearly 300 mm of rainfall within two hours by around 9 am, railway officials said.

Among the affected trains were the Bandra Terminus-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express, Mumbai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express, Dadar-Porbandar Saurashtra Express, Bandra Terminus-Chandigarh Express, Bandra Terminus-Hisar Express, Bandra Terminus-Amritsar Express, Bandra Terminus-Bikaner Express and Bandra Terminus-Veraval Express.

Several incoming trains from Ahmedabad, Jodhpur and Bhuj were also halted at stations such as Vapi and Surat to prevent further congestion on the flooded route.

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With thousands of passengers stranded, Western Railway, along with local NGOs, distributed food packets, drinking water and refreshments at affected stations and onboard delayed trains.

Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said around 500 meal packets were distributed to passengers travelling on the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Mumbai Central Garib Rath Express at Palghar. Railway authorities also set up help desks at Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus and Surat to assist affected passengers.

The heavy rain also affected Mumbai's suburban rail network. Local trains between Borivali and Churchgate were running 15-20 minutes behind schedule, while services on the Virar-Dahanu section witnessed the worst disruptions.

Western Railway has advised passengers to check the latest status of their trains before leaving for stations as efforts to restore normal operations continue.