Transport services resume in Mumbai as rain intensity reduces

MUMBAI: A day after heavy rains battered Mumbai and caused flooding in several areas, the city was limping back to normalcy on Thursday following resumption of rail and road transport services, officials said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), rainintensity has reduced and there is no waterlogging anywhere in the metropolis.

Mumbai's suburbs and neighbouring Navi Mumbai received over 100 mm rainfall in last 24 hours, an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The Santacruz observatory (in western suburbs) recorded 108.7 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Thursday while the Colaba observatory (in south Mumbai) recorded 50.4 mm rain during the period, it said.

As per the BMC, the island city received 256 mm in 12 hours ending at 8 am on Wednesday, and the western and eastern suburbs received 237 mm and 158 mm rain, respectively, during the period, which had led to heavy waterlogging in many areas.

Local train services of the Central Railway (CR) and the Western Railway (WR) were affected on Wednesday due to submergence of tracks at some places.

With the rain intensity reducing on Thursday, the local train services are now running normally, railway authorities said.

"The special suburban trains being operated for essential services staff are running without any disruption," CR's chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said.

Suburban services of the Western Railway were also running as per schedule since early morning, sources said.

Bus services of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), the city civic body's transport wing, which were diverted on many routes on Wednesday, are now running normally, a BMC official said.