Pune, 16th July 2026: Pune and Mumbai commuters received major relief on Wednesday as Central Railway restored train services on the down line in the Lonavala-Karjat ghat section.
With the track becoming operational again, the iconic Pune-CSMT Deccan Queen and Pune-CSMT Intercity Express resumed their regular services after remaining affected for nearly 10 days.
Rail operations in the ghat section had been severely disrupted following a major landslide on July 6, which deposited large amounts of mud, rocks and debris on the railway tracks, forcing authorities to suspend train movement.
More than 1,200 railway engineers and workers carried out round-the-clock restoration work to reopen the crucial rail corridor. Heavy machinery, including boulder special trains, Unimat track maintenance machines and JCB excavators, was deployed to remove debris and repair the damaged infrastructure.
Before reopening the route for passengers, Central Railway successfully conducted trial runs using freight trains to ensure the track was safe for operations.
While train services have resumed on the down line, restoration work on the up line is in its final phase. Railway officials said efforts are continuing to fully restore normal operations in the busy Pune-Mumbai rail corridor at the earliest.
The railway administration has advised passengers to check the latest train schedules through the NTES app or the railway helpline before starting their journey, as some services may continue to be regulated until the remaining work is completed.