One of India’s most iconic trains was stopped in its tracks on the busy Mumbai-Pune line by heavy monsoon rain and disrupted railway services and thousands of passengers were left stranded.
This is all more evidence of the mounting problems Indian railways are facing under the monsoon season.
The Deccan Queen, which has been serving passengers since 1930, is one of the oldest and most prestigious trains in the country. It is known for its punctuality and historical significance.
When railway authorities found damage to tracks caused by relentless rainfall in the Western Ghats region, the train was stopped.
Railway officials said that continuous heavy rainfall weakened parts of the railway track, and immediate safety inspections were performed. It was a precautionary measure to stop the train on the affected stretch until engineers could assess and repair the damage and check for any damage.
Safety of passengers was the top priority of the operation in all of it.
Mumbai-Pune railway line is one of India’s busiest rail links, with thousands of passengers per day from office, business and tourist. If the route is disrupted, it will impact many other trains and will cause a delay and a re-scheduling in the Central Railway system.
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The engineers and maintenance crews were deployed to the damaged section to examine the damage. Heavy machinery was used to fix the track and railway officials kept track of weather conditions to avoid further damage. The train services would resume only after the route was declared to be safe for operation, said the officials.
Passengers on the Deccan Queen and other affected trains had long waiting lines in railway stations as they were on their way to train stations waiting for news on departure and alternative arrangements.
The Indian Railways also issued regular travel advisories on its official communication channels to train passengers to check trains’ status and, later, as soon as possible.
Every year the monsoon season is one of the major challenges for railway operations throughout Maharashtra. Landslides, waterlogging, overflowing drains and track erosion affect services, especially in the mountainous areas between Mumbai and Pune.
In the case of pre-monsoon work, railway authorities are usually doing inspections but heavy rains can still cause unexpected damage.
Weather forecasts indicate that several parts of Maharashtra will continue to receive heavy rainfall over the coming days.
Railway officials have advised passengers to keep track of any weather-related disruptions on their railway services from hereon, as there is forecast that weather conditions will be heavy rainfall and the rain will continue for the next few days.
The Deccan Queen has been a symbol of Indian Railways, connecting Mumbai and Pune to generations of travellers. The suspension, even for an instant, shows how even the most reliable transportation services in the country get affected by severe weather.
The railway authorities have assured passengers that restoration work is progressing on a priority basis. Engineers are still checking vulnerable parts of the route to ensure safe movement before services are resumed, and will be checking them again if it is safe to travel for a time since they are not safe to travel, and train services will be restored when the trains return to normal.
