Every monsoon there are routes over Mumbai’s suburban railway lines that get soaked. A stretch of the Bandra-Khar line is one of those that is flooded and trains either stop or move at a snail’s pace.
This year, however, things could be different. The Westbahn is in the last section of the completion of two huge drainage pipes with a diameter of 1800 mm, for which work began in 2018. These pipes ensure that water from the railway lines is flushed out into the Mithi River and does not lead to flooding on the tracks. These massive drainage pipes cross in an east-west direction and run perpendicular to the railway lines at least 2 meters below the surface.
“We built two new drainage pipes made of cement concrete with a diameter of 1800 mm using the microtunnelling method. The old existing arch drain is dilapidated and has reduced water flow capacity, ”said Sumit Thakur, Chief PRO of Western Railway. “We will complete this work by the end of April.”
Every monsoon, residents stay close to the local multiplex, and even those who live in railroad districts; complain of severe flooding. There are also heavy waterfalls on the east side that clog the waterway flowing towards Mithi. The path to the railroads’ residential areas is flooded and people find it difficult to walk.
This work is being carried out at a cost of Rs 4.5 billion, of which the BMC will share the costs. Sources said the Citizens Authority is required to pay the WR authorities around 2.92 billion rupees for this work. These drainage pipes also contribute to the smooth flow of water to the Mithi River.
These new drainage lines are almost 2.5 to 3 times larger than they used to be in the same locations. These microtunnels are similar to those installed elsewhere at the Vasai train station, Nalasopara-Virar, Nalasopara-Vasai and Goregaon-Malad. These massive culverts will certainly bring relief in ease of train travel during the monsoon season.
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