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Heavy rain caused a landslide in the South East Ghat section between Karjat and Lonavala on Sunday night, affecting train services on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail route. The landslide took place between Thakurvadi and Monkey Hill Loop Cabin on the Up Main Line of Central Railway's Mumbai Division.
Mumbai-Pune Trains Have been Affected
Due to the disruption, Central Railway has cancelled several trains scheduled for Monday. These include the Indrayani Express, Deccan Express, Deccan Queen, Pragati Express, Sinhagad Express, CSMT-Pune Intercity Express, Pune-Solapur Intercity Express, and the CSMT-Dhule Express.
Apart from the cancellations, nine long-distance trains have been diverted through alternative routes. These include the Ahmedabad-Kolhapur Express, Ahmedabad-Pune Duronto Express, Bidar-CSMT Express, Hazur Sahib Nanded-Panvel Express, Charlapalli-Indore Humsafar Express, LTT-SMVT Bengaluru Express, Daund-Gwalior Superfast Express, Chennai Egmore-CSMT Mail and the Indore-Daund Express.
Heavy Rainfall in Maharashtra Caused a Landslide
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the situation after speaking with Central Railway General Manager Rajeev Shrivastava. He said restoration teams are working to clear the tracks and resume train services as soon as possible. He also said heavy rainfall is expected to continue and has directed Central Railway and Western Railway officials to work together for early restoration.
According to railway officials, continuous heavy rainfall in the ghat section triggered the landslide, sending mud, rocks, and boulders onto the railway tracks. Central Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said the region received over 327 mm of rain on Sunday, 162 mm the previous day, and another 140 mm in just four hours on Monday, making the situation worse. He said restoration teams and equipment have been deployed, and every effort is being made to restore services quickly while minimising inconvenience to passengers.
Central Railway has also set up helpline numbers at major stations, including CSMT, Thane, Lonavala, Dadar, Panvel, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Kalyan, to provide passengers with the latest information.
Advisory for Passengers
Passengers have been advised to check the current status of their trains before starting their journey, as restoration work is still underway in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section.