09 July,2026 09:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Restoration work in progress at the mishap site on the Mumbai-Pune route. PIC/By Special Arrangement
The third line between Mumbai and Pune along the Khandala Ghats had survived the monsoons of 2024 and 2025. So what went wrong in 2026? mid-day finds out what the preparations were and what went wrong this time.
Central Railway (CR) had earlier highlighted the uninterrupted operation of the middle line ghat section during the previous two monsoons (2024 and 2025) as evidence that extensive slope stabilisation and protection works had been effective. However, when asked what had changed this year, officials pointed to the extraordinary rainfall received over a short period.
Railway officials maintained that while the protection works had performed well during the 2024 and 2025 monsoons, however, the rainfall experienced this year was at a scale posing a far greater challenge to the vulnerable ghat terrain.
The extreme weather triggered multiple landslides and slope failures in the south-east ghat section between Karjat and Lonavala, disrupting rail traffic and leading to cancellations, diversions and short-term termination of several long-distance trains. "Central Railway has taken immediate action, and restoration work is in full swing. Over 1100 labourers are tirelessly working to clear the debris and restore train services at the earliest. The safety and well-being of the staff engaged in restoration have been prioritised," said the CR official.
Central Railway spokesperson
âThere was approximately 670 mm of rainfall in a single day, following three consecutive days that each recorded more than 400 mm of rain. The cumulative impact of such intense rainfall was unprecedented. The unprecedented intensity and cumulation of this year's rainfall led to the disruption of the Mumbai-Pune ghat section, even though the stretch had remained completely operational through the monsoons of 2024 and 2025 without facing any interruption'
