Mumbai rains: Train services in suburban section delayed, BEST diverts buses on 20 routes, traffic hit

“Despite heavy rains, the suburban train services were not affected,” a senior WR official said.

AS rains soaked the city on Thursday morning, train services in the suburban section reported delays. While services on the Central Railway (CR) were delayed by 10-15 minutes, trains on the Western Railway (WR) ran as per schedule. Water-logging was seen on the tracks near Sion and Thane stations. “Despite heavy rains, the suburban train services were not affected,” a senior WR official said.

At Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), officials from the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) that manages the airport said they had to suspend closure of the main runway for maintenance because of the weather. The runway was supposed to be shut between 1.45 pm and 3.45 pm. “No major effect on the flights was witnessed. However, a Jet Airways flight, 9W-117, from London to Mumbai and flying with 343 passengers was diverted to Ahmedabad before the monsoons hit the city,” a MIAL official said.

Airlines, including Vistara and Jet Air ways, informed the passengers to make it early to the airport due to congestion on the Western Express Highway and other roads leading to the airport. Officials said air traffic congestion continued at the airport till 5 pm. In railway stations, including Parel and Elphinstone Road, officials from the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) managed the crowd. “We have posted guards at the beginning and landing of the staircase to ensure crowds formed queues while climbing up or getting down the stairs,” an MSF official said.

On the WR, commuters posted pictures of water leakage in the Air-Conditioned (AC) local train on social media after it rained in the morning. Officials from WR said they got it redressed. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) diverted buses on 20 routes in Sion, King Circle, Hindmata and Bandra due to waterlogged streets.

During about an hour of moderate rain, there was water logging in parts of central Mumbai, especially in places like Hindmata in Dadar, Dadar TT Circle, some areas on Elphinstone Road and parts of Parel between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm. The water started receding after 2.30 pm. Traffic police officers diverted traffic around Hindmata after water levels rose to about 1.5 feet. Traffic was also diverted from King Circle and Sion Road no. 24.

The India Meteorological Department’s Colaba observatory recorded 27.6 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm while the Santacruz observatory recorded 39 mm rain during the same period. The figures remained the same in the IMD Mumbai’s 8.30 pm report.

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