Landslide in Karjat-Lonavala Ghat disrupts Mumbai-Pune rail traffic; 16 trains cancelled, 9 diverted | Mumbai News

Passengers have been advised to check the latest train status before commencing their journey as restoration work continues in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section.

MUMBAI: Heavy rain triggered a landslide in the South East Ghat section between Karjat and Lonavala late on Sunday, disrupting rail traffic on the busy Mumbai-Pune route. The landslide occurred between Thakurvadi and Monkey Hill Loop Cabin on the Up Main Line of Central Railway’s Mumbai Division.Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the situation after interacting with Central Railway (CR) general manager Rajeev Shrivastava.He said, “Reviewed the situation arising out of heavy landslides and boulders falling on to the railway tracks in Mumbai-Pune ghat section. The team is fully geared up for restoration. Heavy rainfall is expected today also. Have asked both Western Railway and Central Railway officers to work as one team to ensure early restoration of all train services.”Central Railway has cancelled the following trains scheduled to run on Monday:

In addition, nine long-distance trains have been diverted via alternate routes. These include the Ahmedabad-Kolhapur Express, Indore-Daund 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 and Chennai Egmore-CSMT Mail.Railway officials said incessant rainfall in the ghat section triggered the landslide, with debris and boulders falling on the tracks. Restoration teams have been deployed to clear the affected stretch and restore normal train operations at the earliest.Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said, “Incessant rains along with high velocity winds were witnessed over the South East Ghats between Lonavala and Karjat with more than 327 mm rains yesterday and 162 a day before. Today also 140 mm precipitation happened in only 4 hours causing and accentuating the landslide. Restoration efforts are on and resources have been mobilised. All efforts are taken to avoid any inconvenience to the passengers.”Helplines have been established at major CR stations for real time updates and information dissemination.

Passengers have been advised to check the latest train status before commencing their journey as restoration work continues in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section.