Mumbai's Central Railway (CR) service was severely disrupted due to heavy rainfall on September 25th, 2023, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. The issue is recurrent, with Central Railway facing significant disruptions during monsoon seasons, whereas Western Railway (WR) services, though delayed, remained operational. The reasons for this disparity stem from the...
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Central Railway's route traversing lower lying areas, prone to flooding due to inadequate drainage. This results in water accumulation on tracks, impacting services. The Central Railway's drainage system is deficient and poorly maintained, exacerbated by garbage accumulation and encroachments. Western Railway, in contrast, has invested in infrastructure improvements and adopted advanced technologies like track elevation and efficient pumps to manage waterlogging, leading to better resilience during heavy rains. Central Railway is undertaking infrastructure projects to address these issues, but the process is lengthy, and they recognize that completely upgrading their system is a challenging endeavor.