The continuous heavy rainfall in Mumbai has caused the Mithi River to swell, forcing the suspension of railway services on the Central and Harbour lines for more than four hours. Local trains usually operate with up to six inches of water on the tracks, while mail trains can function with up to four inches. However, the situation worsened as water levels around Kurla station rose to about 15 inches, making train movement impossible. At 2.22 pm, the Mithi River’s water level stood at 3.3 metres but quickly rose again to 3.6 metres within half an hour due to heavy rains and a low tide in the Arabian Sea.
The disruption has left eight outstation trains stranded at various points, including the Delhi-CSMT Rajdhani Express stuck at Ghatkopar and others halted at Thane, Kalyan, and nearby sections. Officials are monitoring the water levels, waiting for them to recede before restoring both local and outstation services. The problem intensified after floodgates were closed at 8.30 am, preventing excess rainwater from draining out. Despite reopening them around 11 am, the downpour continued, and waterlogging persisted in Kurla. A high tide expected again at 8.30 pm has raised further concerns, though authorities hope water levels will reduce before then.
To combat the flooding, 136 pumps have been deployed, including 107 by Central Railways and 29 by the BMC, to push water into the sea. Meanwhile, the Central Railway has had to cancel 14 trains from CSMT and cut short five more at Panvel, Pune, and Igatpuri. These cancellations, combined with stranded trains, have caused major disruptions, leaving several passengers stuck at stations like CSMT. However, the rush at stations has remained relatively low, as offices, schools, and colleges stayed closed on Tuesday due to the rain.
Despite the chaos in the Kurla belt, other Central Railway routes have remained unaffected. Local train services are still operating smoothly on the harbour lines between Panvel and Vashi, the trans-harbour section between Thane and Vashi, and the main routes such as Thane-Kalyan-Kasara and Thane-Kalyan-Karjat. The combined impact of over 185 mm of rainfall in just 12 hours, along with high tides, has been the primary cause of this large-scale disruption in Central Railway’s operations.
