Heavy rainfall in Mumbai has once again thrown the city’s transport network into chaos, with local train services facing delays, cancellations and partial suspensions over the past two days. The downpour has caused severe waterlogging on railway tracks, affecting both Central and Western Railway operations.
According to officials quoted by PTI, services on the Central Railway’s Harbour Line were finally restored around 3 am on Wednesday more than 15 hours after they were suspended due to flooding.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway, considered the lifeline of the city, continues to run but with significant delays across the Harbour, Central, and Western lines.
Mumbai Local Train Status Today (August 20)
As of 11:10 am, travel app Mindicator reported the following delays on key routes:
- CSMT–Kalyan: Fast trains delayed by 24 minutes, slow trains by 37 minutes
- Kalyan–CSMT: Both fast and slow trains delayed by 16 minutes
- Churchgate–Virar: Fast trains 4 minutes late, slow trains 5 minutes late
- Virar–Churchgate: Fast trains 22 minutes late, slow trains 9 minutes late
- CSMT–Panvel: 13 minutes late
- Panvel–CSMT: 11 minutes late
Train Cancellations and Railway Announcements
- At 5:39 am, the Western Railway divisional railway manager announced a list of 17 cancelled trains.
- By 8:30 am, Western Railway locals were running up to 35 minutes late, while Central Railway services were delayed by about 45 minutes.
- Swanil Nila, Chief PRO of Central Railway, confirmed that Harbour Line services resumed at 3 am after floodwater receded.
- On Tuesday morning, Western Railway announced that Train No. 10115 (Bandra Terminus–Madgaon Express, August 20) would start from Kaman Road station instead of Bandra Terminus, cancelling the section between Bandra and Kaman Road.
BMC and IMD Weather Alerts
Despite train delays, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stated at 8:36 am on Wednesday that Central, Western and Harbour line trains, along with BEST buses, were “operating smoothly.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), however, has issued a red alert for Mumbai and Pune, warning of more intense rainfall. Meteorologists explained that the torrential downpour is being driven by a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and the strengthening of monsoon winds.
Rain Impact Beyond Trains
Mumbai’s heavy rains have not only disrupted railways but also hit flight operations, road traffic, and educational institutions. On Tuesday, schools, colleges and even government offices were shut as large parts of the city, along with subways and highways, were submerged in floodwater.
In other parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, continuous rainfall has led to multiple deaths and widespread disruption of daily life.
