Heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides in the Mumbai-Pune ghat section on Monday, bringing transport between Maharashtra’s two biggest cities to a standstill. Railway services were cancelled or diverted after boulders fell onto tracks, while traffic on both the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the old Mumbai-Pune Highway was suspended following a major landslide.
Authorities said restoration work is underway, but warned that continued rainfall could delay normal operations. Citizens have been advised to avoid travelling between Mumbai and Pune until further notice.
Rail services disrupted after landslide blocks tracks
According to Central Railway, incessant rain in the South East Ghat section between Karjat and Lonavala triggered a landslide between Thakurvadi and Monkey Hill Loop Cabin on the Up Main Line of the Mumbai Division.
The disruption forced the cancellation of several passenger services, including the CSMT-Pune Indrayani Express, Pune-Solapur Intercity Express, Solapur-Pune Intercity Express, Pune-CSMT Indrayani Express, CSMT-Pune Intercity Express, Pune-CSMT Intercity Express, CSMT-Pune Deccan Express, Pune-CSMT Deccan Express, Pune-CSMT Deccan Queen, CSMT-Pune Deccan Queen, Pune-CSMT Pragati Express, CSMT-Pune Pragati Express, Pune-CSMT Sinhagad Express, CSMT-Pune Sinhagad Express, CSMT-Dhule Express and Dhule-CSMT Express.
Several long-distance trains were diverted through 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 Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said he had reviewed the situation and directed officials to expedite restoration work.
“Reviewed the situation arising out of heavy landslides and boulders falling onto the railway tracks in the Mumbai-Pune ghat section. The team is fully geared up for restoration. Heavy rainfall is expected today also. Have asked both Western and Central Railway officers to work as one team to ensure early restoration of all train services,” he said.
Central Railway said suburban services continue to operate across all four corridors. Main Line trains are running six to eight minutes behind schedule, while Harbour Line services are delayed by around four minutes. Services on the Transharbour and Uran-Belapur lines remain unaffected.
Expressway traffic suspended after major landslide
Road connectivity was also affected after a landslide struck the Missing Link section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near the Khandala exit, forcing the closure of the Mumbai-bound carriageway.
According to preliminary information, no casualties have been reported. Authorities are working to clear the debris and reopen the route.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said, “There is a landslide occurred near the tunnel 2 exit of the Pune to Mumbai lane of the Pune to Mumbai Connecting Link Road, amidst extremely heavy ongoing rainfall. For safety reasons, the traffic has been diverted since 4 AM. We are constantly monitoring the situation in close coordination with the Highway Traffic Police.”
Public urged to avoid Mumbai-Pune travel
The District Information Office appealed to commuters to postpone travel between the two cities.
“Due to a landslide and continuous heavy rainfall, traffic movement on both the Pune-Mumbai Expressway and the old Mumbai-Pune Highway has been severely affected. Traffic in both directions (Pune-Mumbai and Mumbai-Pune) has been stopped until further notice. Citizens are requested not to undertake any journey between Pune and Mumbai until further directions are issued. Those planning to travel are advised to postpone their journey and follow traffic advisories and updates issued by the Government agencies. We request your cooperation in the interest of public safety,” the office said.
Meanwhile, reports said Mumbai’s iconic dabbawala network suspended operations for the day because of heavy rainfall and disruptions to train services. The Mumbai Dabbawalas Association said food delivery and return pickup services would remain suspended after rail disruptions affected transportation.