August 5 (PTI) – Suburban train services resumed late on August 4 after a 11-hour break due to heavy rains in Mumbai and adjoining Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts, officials said.
Due to serious damage to the tracks, suburban services between Karjat and Badlapur remained suspended, with services running only between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Badlapur. As a consequence all trains bound for Pune and other states such as Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, have been affected. The Kalyan-Kasara section was made operational to traffic in the morning. Harbour Line was restored late on Sunday night and services were running on Monday morning.
One line on Konkan Railway had been cleared for traffic on August 4 and railway officials said efforts were underway to make both lines operational. Due to a landslide between Apta and Jite stations several trains were stuck including the Hazarat Nizamuddin – Madgaon Rajdhani Express.
Harbour line services also started between CSMT and Wadala, and Mankhurd and Panvel in the evening, an CR official said. Services beyond Badlapur will not be possible on Monday due to large scale damage to tracks despite repairs being undertaken on war-footing, CR said.
Holiday for schools
The Maharashtra government on Sunday declared holiday for the schools and colleges in Mumbai, its suburbs and neighbouring Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts for August 5 in view of the IMD forecast of heavy rains in the next 48 hours. Authorities have already declared holiday for schools in Nashik district.
All government and semi-government employees in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are allowed to report late for duty on August 5, an official statement said.
In the last 24 hours, Mumbai received 100 mm rain while the suburbs, Thane and Navi Mumbai got more than 250 mm downpour.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) department has forecast intermittent rain with heavy to very heavy showers in Mumbai and suburbs and extremely heavy rain at isolated places in the next 24 hours.
