Heavy monsoon rains triggered multiple landslides and mudslides in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section of the Central Railway in Maharashtra. The affected stretch lies on the Mumbai-Pune railway corridor and is particularly vulnerable to landslides during the southwest monsoon.
Several trains running between Mumbai and Pune were either canceled, diverted, delayed or short-terminated due to safety concerns. Train operations were suspended or slowed down in the affected ghat section until engineers certified that the tracks were safe to operate.
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In order to help stranded commuters and provide real time updates, Central Railway has activated special helpline numbers :
1. CSMT - 022-22694040
2. Thane - 9321336747
3. Lonavala - 8356854238
4. Dadar - 9136452387
Central Railway has advised passengers to use these helplines for real-time updates. The helplines are meant to provide information about delayed and cancelled trains, updates on restoration work, assistance for stranded passengers, and guidance regarding alternate travel arrangements.
Railway engineers and disaster response teams were deployed immediately to inspect slopes, clear debris and ensure track safety. Railway officials undertook several emergency measures to ensure safety including removal of mud, rocks and boulders from tracks, inspection of hill slopes for additional loose rocks, continuous weather monitoring before resuming services, and deployment of engeneering, operating and safety personnel at vulnerable locations.
The disruption comes despite extensive monsoon preparedness by Central Railway ahead of the rainy season. These include the installation of rockfall barriers, strengthening of retaining walls, slope protection works, cleaning of drainage channels and deployment of monsoon patrol teams at vulnerable locations across the ghat section.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted continued heavy to very heavy rainfall over parts of the Western Ghats, including the Pune and Lonavala regions, raising the possibilities of further landslides and weather related disruptions.
The Karjat-Lonavala section is among the most challenging railway stretches in India because trains negotiate steep gradients through the Western Ghats.
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