MUMBAI: Western Railway has completed an extensive engineering overhaul of the drainage system and track formation between Matunga and Dadar, a stretch that has repeatedly experienced waterlogging and disruption of local train services during heavy rainfall. The project, finished ahead of the 2026 monsoon, addresses the root causes of flooding by increasing drainage capacity and removing hydraulic bottlenecks.
Technical Assessment and Root Causes
A technical assessment by the railway found that the stretch between Km 11/5 and Km 12/8 on both the Up and Down local lines suffered from inadequate water-carrying capacity, a choked and ageing culvert, and restrictions in the flow of the Dadar-Dharavi (DD) nala below the Matunga Workshop. During intense rainfall, storm water was unable to discharge efficiently, resulting in backflow onto railway tracks and slow recession of floodwater.
Structural Interventions
To address the problem, Western Railway has raised the Down Local Line by 150 mm and the Up Local Line by 130 mm to improve drainage gradients. It has also constructed an additional storm-water outlet near Saraswati Vidyamandir at Km 12/4 to remove a critical bottleneck and facilitate faster evacuation of rainwater. Another key intervention was the replacement of the existing Culvert No. 14A with 1,200-mm diameter NP-4 RCC pipes, substantially increasing its hydraulic capacity.
Desilting and Preventive Cleaning
The railway has simultaneously desilted nearly 250 metres of the DD nala using a super sucker machine, removing silt, vegetation and floating debris, while carrying out preventive cleaning of culverts, side drains and storm-water passages across the section.
“We have scientifically identified the factors responsible for flooding in this section and undertaken structural interventions rather than temporary measures. The objective is to improve the drainage network so that water is evacuated quickly and suburban train operations remain safe and reliable even during heavy rainfall,” said Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway. He added, “The combination of track lifting, additional waterways, culvert augmentation and nala desilting has significantly enhanced the drainage capacity of the corridor and is expected to minimise waterlogging during the monsoon.”
This comprehensive upgrade is expected to benefit thousands of daily commuters by ensuring smoother train operations during the monsoon season. The railway continues to monitor and maintain drainage infrastructure to prevent future disruptions.
