600 mm rain in Lonavala in 24 hours triggers landslides, hits rail traffic

Torrential rain in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune rail corridor triggered multiple landslides over the past two days, severely disrupting train services and damaging tracks at several locations, railway officials said on Monday.

The disruption followed exceptionally heavy rainfall in the hill section, with Lonavala in Pune district recording 670 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 7 am on Monday. Officials said around 600 mm of rainfall over a 24-hour period had led to a series of landslides across the route, while Pune district reported 22 landslides in the last two days.

Central Railway officials said the ghat section had already received nearly 300 mm of rain on Sunday, including around 160 mm within the first four hours, leaving several vulnerable stretches exposed to slips and track damage.

The first landslide was reported near Thakurwadi, affecting all three lines in the Bhor Ghat section. Another occurred between Monkey Hill and Khandala, while a tree later fell on the down main line near Khandala station, further compounding the disruption.

Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, said railway tracks had suffered extensive damage at some locations, though restoration work was launched immediately despite continuing rain in the ghat section.

Nila said stationary watchmen had already been deployed at vulnerable points in view of the weather, and their timely alerts ensured that no train was struck by the landslides and no passengers were injured.

Two long-distance trains were among those affected. The Daund-Gwalior Express was halted near Khandala, while the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Bengaluru Express was stopped near Thakurwadi. Both trains were later moved back safely to Lonavala and Karjat at around 6.15 am on Monday.

The fallout on operations was extensive. Central Railway said 27 trains, including four suburban services between Palasdari and Lonavala, were cancelled. Another 57 trains were diverted, 19 short-terminated, 15 short-originated and four rescheduled till late Monday evening.

Railway authorities have deployed 200 labourers in the ghat section for restoration work and are mobilising another 200 workers to speed up repairs and clear debris from affected stretches.

In a separate rain-related disruption, services between Karjat and Khopoli in Raigad district were partially restored on Monday evening after remaining suspended for nearly 12 hours because of a ballast washout between Lowjee and Dolavli stations. The section forms part of Mumbai’s suburban rail network and is used daily by thousands of commuters travelling to the city for work.

With PTI inputs