Mumbai: Heavy rains throughout night in Mumbai, led to water logging in many parts of the metro city on Wednesday. Public transport services were hit and normal life affected in the financial capital due to heavy downpour and water logging on Wednesday morning. This leads disruption of road and rail traffic, officials said.

Rains across the Mumbai city and the western suburbs picked up late on Tuesday evening. Some vehicles broke down in the water, affecting the traffic movement, he added. Several streets and low-lying areas were waterlogged due to overnight rains and the road traffic was also badly hit, said official sources. There were intense spells across Mumbai for a few hours’ overnight, said sources.

BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said except essential services, all offices and establishments in the city were shut on Wednesday, due to the downpour and the IMD’s forecast of “heavy to heavy rains” in the city. The BMC commissioner in a press note has also appealed to the people of Mumbai not to come out of their houses, unless it is an emergency.

The central railway cancelled all sub-urban services at 05:00am on Wednesday, following heavy rains along the tracks, said railway sources. “Due to heavy rain and water logging in Sion-Kurla and Chuna bhatti-Kurla, traffic has been suspended on CSMT-Thane and CSMT-Vashi sections for safety reasons.” The Western Railway also said its suburban train service has been suspended due to heavy rain and water logging between Church gate-Andheri stations.

Special shuttle services are being run between Thane- Kasara, Thane-Karjat and Vashi-Panvel stations, while several long-distance trains have been rescheduled, sources said. “Suburban local’s service is running normally between Andheri and Virar.” The public bus service of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has also been hit due to waterlogged streets, and traffic diverted at several locations.

The IMD had issued an orange alert with a forecast of heavy rainfall at some places in Mumbai and Thane during the day. As per the IMD sources, the rainfall was recorded 122.2 mm rain at Colaba and 273.6 mm at Santacruz till 5.30 am.