'Won't stop, won't pause': Western Railway says local trains keep running as heavy rains wreak havoc in Mumbai

Mumbai continues to reel under relentless rainfall, with the city witnessing severe waterlogging in several areas for the past few days. On Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, warning of “very heavy to extremely heavy” showers accompanied by gusty winds up to 55 kmph.

Despite the downpour and chaos, Mumbai’s lifeline—the local trains—continued to operate. Taking to X, Western Railway reaffirmed its commitment to keeping suburban services functional.

"We won't stop, we won't pause… The speed of local trains continues," Western Railway posted.


It further said: “Even in every situation, our controllers are making the right decisions to ensure Mumbai locals don’t stop and continue running.”

Mumbai on Red Alert

In contrast, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday morning announced the closure of all government and semi-government offices as a precautionary measure. It also appealed to private establishments to allow employees to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel.

According to officials, in the 24-hour period ending at 8 am Tuesday, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded 186.43 mm, 208.78 mm and 238.19 mm of rainfall, respectively.

Waterlogging was reported at Hindmata, Andheri Subway, Dadar, Matunga, Parel, Sion, and parts of the Eastern Express Highway, Mumbai-Gujarat Highway and Eastern Freeway. Rail tracks in some low-lying areas also saw water accumulation.

A Western Railway spokesperson told PTI that while suburban trains were delayed due to poor visibility, the water level was still below track height, ensuring train movement remained largely unaffected.

Meanwhile, Central Railway’s suburban network faced minor disruptions with trains on the main line delayed by around 10 minutes and harbour line services by about 5 minutes due to an early morning signalling snag between Ambivali and Shahad stations.

Adding to commuters’ woes, high tides of 3.75 metres at 9.16 am and 3.14 metres expected at 8.53 pm threatened to worsen waterlogging across the city.