Thane rains: City transport, railways disrupted, passengers stranded amid heavy rainfall and waterlogging

Roads in Maharashtra’s Thane district have become like drains. Vehicles have been caught up in a jam for hours as the city continues to be drenched by the intense monsoon spells.

There are queues of vehicles lined up from the Gaymuh Ghat to Kasarwadavali on the Ghodbunder road.

Traffic jams on the Mumbai-Nashik highway due to an accumulation of water have created a problem for commuters. Another traffic jam blocks the Mumbra bypass road. The jams are surprising since the district had declared a holiday for many private companies and schools.

The rain water has also created potholes in the roads, according to the local media. Vehicles also reported getting stuck in the mud.

The IMD had issued a red alert in Thane for heavy rains and gusty winds reaching from 40-50 kmph to 60 kmph

The city had received more than 100 mm of rain within just six hours on 18th August and had already been waterlogged since yesterday.

In the Kalyan East’s Netivali, a building wall collapsed. In an underpass that connects Narivali and Uttarshiv villages, a car got stuck. After two locals swam up and helped push the car, the passengers climbed out of the vehicle’s windows and swam to safety

Another incident in Thane occurred when frustrated people who were unable to wait for the delayed trains climbed down onto the railway tracks and walked through in large numbers. At Kalwa car shed, the passengers gathered on the tracks to try to board the trains.,

The stranded passengers also looked for alternatives outside the railways. Bus depots outside Thane station and Dadar saw a huge crowd.

All transport systems in the city are under heavy pressure.

Thane is one of the biggest industrial areas outside of Suburban Mumbai, and lakhs of passengers travel through Thane station everyday. The city has been trying to accommodate the large number of commuters who travel to work through public transport. The central railways had proposed ₹949 crore for the modernization of Thane railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme and sent it to the Railway Broad. However, a decision has not yet been made on the proposal.