Local train services on the harbour line were restored by 3 am on Wednesday morning, August 20, more than 15 hours after Mumbai's lifeline was halted due to the waterlogging on tracks following heavy rains on Tuesday, informed Central Railway (CR). Western Railway has suspended local train services from Virar, Nalla Sopara to Churchgate in the early hours today. However, other public transport such as BEST Bus resumed normal operations after the torrential rains crippled normal life.
According to Swanil Nila, chief public relations officer of the Central Railway told the news agency PTI that the harbour line services were fully restored after the water receded from tracks at 3 am. The services were suspended at around 11.15 am on Tuesday.
Also Read | Mumbai Local Train Update: Multiple Services Cancelled On Western Line Today Morning Due to Waterlogging.
The submergence of tracks after heavy donwpour prompted the railway authorities to suspend the train operations first on the harbour line and later on the main line of the Central Railway before noon on Tuesday.
The main line operations, between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Thane stations, resumed from 7.30 pm on Tuesday, but the harbour line, which connects Navi Mumbai to south Mumbai, remained suspended even after midnight. In some sections of the harbour line, tracks went under 15 inches of water.
"IMD has predicted heavy rainfall in the Mumbai region. Passengers are advised to travel only if essential and exercise caution," divisional railway manager of the Central Railway's Mumbai division appealed in a post on X.