SURAT: Heavy rain killed four people and paralyzed train movements on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route apart from flooding low-lying areas and snapping electricity in several districts of south Gujarat on Monday. The stretch from Vadodara to Valsad witnessed heavy rain starting Sunday night.While a 70-year-old identified as Veersinh Vasava died after being struck by lightning in Amod village near Jambsuar, 43-year-old farm worker Devji Vasava died after the tractor he was travelling in overturned due to heavy rain in Jhagadia taluka of Bharuch.In Vadodara, two persons died of electrocution near Rajesh Tower in Gotri area, where the entire road leading to the building was inundated due to rain.Thousands of passengers were left stranded at railway stations as at least 11 trains to and from Mumbai – including Karnavati Express, Shatabdi Express and Suryanagari Express were delayed — were running late due to flooded tracks.Most parts of Valsad district were pounded by more than 200 mm rainfall since Sunday night with Umargaon on Gujarat-Maharashtra border receiving 550 mm in 30 hours till Monday. Holiday was declared in all schools and educational institutes in the area. Normal life was affected in Vadodara city which was lashed by 100 mm rainfall in just two hours beginning noon. Several areas were waterlogged and strong winds uprooted at least 35 trees. The first rain exposed the shoddy road work as several vehicles, including that of mayor, got stuck in potholes.Jayanta Sarkar, regional director, IMD, said due to cyclonic circulation over north Konkan and adjoining south Gujarat areas, parts of southern Gujarat and coastal Saurashtra will receive heavy to very heavy rains in the next two days. The southwest monsoon has covered parts up to Ahmedabad in central Gujarat and Amreli in Saurashtra.Heavy rains in South Gujarat led to the disruption of the train services between Mumbai and Ahmedabad following water logging on the tracks between Sanjan and Bhilad near Valsad on Monday.Thousands of passengers travelling between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and beyond were either stranded on the railway stations or in the trains that were regulated at various stations following the heavy flooding between Sanjan and Bhilad.As many as 11 trains were delayed and five others rescheduled following incessant rain in South Gujarat.Sources at Surat railway station said that most of the trains towards Ahmedabad were regulated beyond Valsad railway station, while the trains going towards Mumbai were regulated at stations between Surat and Valsad.The inquiry office was flooded with frantic calls from the passengers wanting to know about the latest situation. However, the railway traffic moved at a snail’s pace after the down line was opened for the passing of trains on the up line.The railway crossing at Udwada was closed for almost one hour as flood waters washed away the earth on either side of the railway line at many places between Sanjan and Bhilad on Monday.Many trains between Mumbai and Ahmedabad were running late by almost one hour to two hours and that many trains were rescheduled as the speed was restricted at 10 kilometer per hour for safety reasons.General manager of WR, AK Gupta reached the site between Bhilad and Sanjan and took stock of the situation and oversaw the restoration work that was immediately started following the heavy flooding.The western railway (WR) teams immediately started restoration of the tracks, which were heavily flooded as rains continued in Valsad for second consecutive day.Official sources said that the rail traffic resumed at spped of 10 kmph in view of safety on affected UP line between Bhilad and Sanjan. The single line working was initiated to allow the UP trains including August Kranti Rajdhani Express to pass from the DN line between the flood affected Sanjan and Bhilad sections.Sources said that the water logging and heavy flooding near the tracks was reported since 7.45am on Monday morning. More than a dozen trains towards Mumbai were regulated at the respective stations including Surat, Valsad and Navsari for a couple of hours.Trains like Dadar-Bhuj Express, Bandra Terminus-Bikaner Express, Dadar-Ajmer Express, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Double Decker and Karnavati Express were rescheduled between one to three hours at Mumbai.The trains like Shatabdi Express, Sanjan Surat Memu, Gujarat Express, Bandra Terminus-Surat Intercity, Surat-Hapa weekly Express, Swaraj Express, Surat Passenger, Yeshwantpur-Bikaner Express, Surat-Borivali Memu, Firozpur Janta Express and Surashtra Express were delayed by one to one-and-a-half-hour on Monday.

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