Relentless rainfall on Monday caused multiple landslides in the Mumbai-Pune ghat section, bringing major disruptions to transportation between the two cities. Both rail and road traffic were significantly affected after debris and large boulders blocked railway tracks and key highways. A major landslide forced authorities to suspend traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the old Mumbai-Pune Highway until further notice. At the same time, several train services were either cancelled or rerouted after rocks fell onto railway tracks in the affected section.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the situation and said restoration teams had been deployed despite the challenging weather conditions. He noted that heavy rainfall is expected to continue and instructed officials from both Central and Western Railways to coordinate closely to restore normal train operations as quickly as possible. According to Central Railway, continuous downpours in the South East Ghat region between Karjat and Lonavala triggered a landslide between Thakurvadi and Monkey Hill Loop Cabin on the Up Main Line in the Mumbai Division. The incident led to widespread disruptions across several passenger services.

Among the trains cancelled were the Indrayani Express, Deccan Express, Deccan Queen, Sinhagad Express, Pragati Express, multiple Intercity Express services operating between Mumbai and Pune, as well as the CSMT-Dhule and Dhule-CSMT Express trains. Several long-distance services were diverted through alternative routes to avoid the affected stretch. These included the Ahmedabad-Kolhapur Express, Ahmedabad-Pune Duronto Express, Indore-Daund Express, Bidar-CSMT Express, Hazur Sahib Nanded-Panvel Express, Charlapalli-Indore Humsafar Express, LTT-SMVT Bengaluru Express, Daund-Gwalior Superfast Express, and the Chennai Egmore-CSMT Mail.

Despite the disruption, suburban railway operations continued across Mumbais local network. Central Railway stated that Main Line trains were running with delays of around six to eight minutes, while Harbour Line services were delayed by approximately four minutes. Services on the Transharbour and Uran-Belapur routes remained largely unaffected. Road travel also suffered a major setback after a landslide struck the Missing Link section near the Khandala exit on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Mumbai-bound carriageway was completely shut as a precautionary measure. Officials confirmed that no injuries or fatalities had been reported.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said the landslide occurred near the exit of Tunnel 2 on the Pune-to-Mumbai Connecting Link Road amid extremely heavy rainfall. Traffic has been diverted since early morning, with authorities continuously monitoring the situation alongside the Highway Traffic Police. In response to the deteriorating conditions, the District Information Office advised commuters to avoid travelling between Mumbai and Pune until further notice. Authorities urged the public to postpone non-essential journeys and stay updated through official traffic advisories issued by government agencies.

The severe weather also impacted Mumbais famous dabbawala network. Owing to disruptions in railway services, the Mumbai Dabbawalas Association suspended food delivery and return pickup operations for the day, citing the inability of workers to travel and maintain their regular delivery schedule. Officials continue to monitor weather conditions as restoration work progresses, with transport services expected to resume only after the affected routes are declared safe.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.