Mumbai, June 13: Central Railway has intensified preparations in the Mumbai division ahead of the monsoon season. CPRO Swapnil Neela announced that 117 flood-prone points have been identified, and 210 pumps have been installed to manage waterlogging. Measures have also been taken to enhance the safety of ghat sections and the signaling system to ensure smooth train operations.
Neela explained that the preparations are conducted on two levels: one for areas prone to flooding, such as Mulund, Matunga, and Sion, and the other for ghat sections, including Karjat to Lonavala and Kasara to Igatpuri. This year, 117 locations have been identified where waterlogging issues have occurred at least once in the past decade, and pumps have been set up at all these points.
Additionally, 18 sensitive locations have been earmarked for special measures to mitigate permanent or temporary waterlogging issues. In some areas, the tracks have been elevated. Last year, waterlogging was reported in the Chunabhatti area, prompting track elevation work this year.
Regarding ghat section preparations, Neela noted that modern measures have been implemented to address challenges such as boulder falls, landslides, track washouts, and land subsidence during the monsoon. These measures have ensured that rail operations in ghat sections were not affected over the past two years, and similar expectations are held for this year.
Last year, the railway implemented safety measures on all point machines according to IP-67 standards, ensuring that signal and point machine operations remain unaffected even if water levels rise to half a meter on the tracks. This year, special plastic coating has also been applied to signals.
On Friday morning, around 9:10 AM, a train manager of a local train arriving from Panvel to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus reported that someone had thrown a wire onto the overhead electric wire. This raised concerns about entanglement between the pantograph and the overhead wire, prompting a temporary halt in rail services for safety. Repairs were conducted between Kurla and Chembur, and services were subsequently restored.
The railway has urged citizens and passengers to refrain from such actions, as they can cause significant inconvenience to thousands of commuters.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
