Central Railway Restores Khandala-Monkey Hill Line Ahead of Schedule

Central Railway achieved a major infrastructure milestone on Monday by successfully restoring the 3rd Up South East line between Khandala and Monkey Hill in the Lonavala–Karjat ghat section ahead of the estimated schedule.

The first movement across the newly restored stretch was carried out by a banker locomotive, which crossed the repaired track safely. This test movement officially marked the successful completion of the track restoration work and confirmed that the line was fit for train operations.

The rail line had been out of service since July 7 due to damage sustained in the ghat section. The prolonged disruption had severely impacted train operations along one of the busiest rail corridors connecting Mumbai and Pune.

To repair the damaged track and restore movement, teams of railway engineers, technical staff, and field workers worked round the clock. Operations were conducted under difficult weather conditions and across challenging hilly terrain in the ghat section.

Railway officials credited the early completion of the restoration to the dedicated efforts of the teams working continuously under adverse conditions.

With the track now reopened, the restoration is expected to improve train movement through the Lonavala–Karjat ghat section and help normalise services that were impacted by the disruption. Railway officials added that completing the work early will ease rail congestion and improve service reliability across the busy Mumbai–Pune route.