According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, against an annual average of 3,038mm, Matheran has recorded 5,217mm rainfall so far this monsoon. "There is serious damage, the likes of which has not happened before, at 21 locations. The problem is that there are no trains up at Matheran.

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They are usually brought downhill to Neral at the maintenance shed and now they are stuck there. Even if there are a few wagons up at Matheran, they cannot be run until they are checked by the maintenance team. We plan to build a few pit lines at Aman Lodge so that trains there can be maintained. This is what we have sought land from the collector for," a senior divisional official said.

Local residents said they were upset with the CR for not keeping their promise of maintaining the line. "The Aman Lodge-Matheran railway is crucial for Matheran residents. All essentials are brought by road till Dasturi naka and from there till Matheran station by train. With the train down, residents now have to depend on mules or horses," Shamsher, a local resident said.

Matheran votes for the train
Residents of Matheran had initially said they would boycott the elections since the train was down. "We met the Divisional Railway Manager Sanjay Kumar Jain who said the line at least between Matheran to Aman Lodge will be functional by December. They were working hard at it. Which is why we called off the election boycott and have voted in the name of the train," Manoj Khedkar, former president of Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council told mid-day.

Record monsoon this year has washed away tracks in several places

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