Mumbai-Pune trains stop because of falling boulders in rain-hit ghats

MUMBAI: Central Railway has cancelled, partially cancelled or diverted 15 long-distance trains that cater to the Mumbai-Pune route from July 26 to August 9 in light of multiple incidents of falling boulders because of heavy rain in the ghat section. The move is aimed at improving punctuality by giving the railways more time to resolve the problem.

CR has spent Rs 6 crore this year in the section to make train operations smoother. But the slipping of boulders down the slopes remains a persistent problem despite the use of innovative techniques like Canadian fencing, extending the roof of tunnels and even netting of the vulnerable stretch in CR’s Karjat-Lonavla section.
Just in the last few days, CR workers have removed 700 boulders along the stretch that would have posed a risk to passing trains. But since the intensity of rainfall hasn’t ebbed in the region, CR has been forced to cancel trains. The ghat section received 1,900mm rain in the fortnight starting from July1, of which 1,100 mm was in a week. The same amount of rainfall was received over 45 days last year.
It is being hoped that the cancelation of trains will ultimately help to improve punctuality if the problem can be resolved in this period. Since the monsoon started, Mumbai-Pune trains have routinely suffered delays because of boulders. Another problem has been accumulation of muck, which is brought down the hills by flowing rainwater, on tracks. “Every day, we need a fourhour block to undertake track maintenance. Apart from this, manpower is needed to clear muck and remove boulders,” said CR’s divisional railway manager SK Jain.
CR’s chief public relations officer, Sunil Udasi, said, “Trains have been affected by cases of falling boulders in the southeast ghat section from mid-June onwards, causing severe disruptions.”
On a somber note, an official said, “The ghat section is 28km long and we can’t prevent boulder falls along the entire stretch. We cannot master nature.”