Relentless downpours have crippled both road and rail connectivity between Mumbai and Pune, and with further torrential rain forecast, authorities have warned that severe disruption to daily life is set to continue.

Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan on Monday said that Mumbai, Palghar and Raigad have received record-breaking rain with 13 people losing their lives in the last three to four days, as per reports.

In response to the deteriorating conditions, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Pune and an orange alert for Mumbai. The extreme weather forced the cancellation of at least 16 train services, whilst nine others had to be diverted. Central Railway officials reported that the first major disruption occurred at around 3:05 am when a landslide struck near Thakurwadi in the notorious Karjat-Lonavala Bhor Ghat section, followed shortly by a second landslide between Khandala and Monkey Hill.

Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer for Central Railway, confirmed that all three railway tracks in the challenging Bhor Ghat stretch - the Up line towards Mumbai, the Down line towards Pune, and the Middle line - were blocked by mud and debris. He explained that the continuous, heavy rainfall in the South East Ghat section had severely impacted operations, forcing the railway network to cancel, divert, and regulate numerous long-distance services. Among the key services cancelled were the CSMT-Pune Indrayani Express, Intercity Express, Deccan Express, Deccan Queen, Pragati Express, and Dhule Express. Commuter links like the Pune-CSMT Sinhagad Express were also halted, with various other long-distance trains either short-terminated, diverted, or rescheduled. Railway authorities stated that restoration work was underway and advised passengers to check their train status before travelling.

Road commuters faced equally treacherous conditions as traffic on both carriageways of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the old Mumbai-Pune highway was suspended until further notice. Traffic heading towards Pune on the Khopoli-Kusgaon Missing Link was diverted early on Monday morning following a landslide near the exit of Tunnel 2. Furthermore, multiple stretches of the old highway became completely impassable due to extensive flooding and overflowing water bodies.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, working alongside the Highway Traffic Police, implemented traffic diversions from 4 am as a precautionary measure. Motorists were urged to avoid the route entirely unless absolutely necessary. The situation worsened as flood-like conditions developed in parts of Maval and Tamhini Ghat, blocking alternate routes between the two cities. Additionally, a section of the expressway had to be shut completely between the Connecting Link and Missing Link areas after a concrete pillar collapsed onto the carriageway. The Highway Traffic Police control room confirmed that vehicular movement along the Khandala Ghat stretch remained heavily disrupted by waterlogging and mudslides.

In a public advisory, the police urged citizens to postpone any travel plans between Pune and Mumbai until conditions improved and fresh directives were issued. With predictions of further heavy downpours, local authorities took the decision to declare a holiday on Monday for all government, private, and civic-run schools and colleges across Mumbai, Pune, Thane, and Palghar districts.

Meanwhile, emergency operations are focused on Patan village in the Pune district, where the landslide buried a house. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), alongside local police and rescue agencies, have been deployed to the site to search for the three trapped family members. Elsewhere in the district, an NDRF team successfully rescued 37 passengers who had become stranded inside a private bus after severe waterlogging left the vehicle marooned near Ghorawadi railway station.