Mumbai, Jul 24 (IANS): Important trains linking Mumbai and Pune including the Deccan Express and Pragati Express will be cancelled for a fortnight from July 26 to August 9 to enable Central Railway address the problem of falling boulders in the treacherous Lonavala-Khandala ghats sections, an official said here on Wednesday.

The CR will take up a massive restoration work to ensure the problem of toppling boulders and minor landslides, which becomes widespread during heavy rain, is resolved.

"The services get badly disrupted due to this problem mainly in the South-East Ghats from mid-June, affecting mobility and safety of the trains negotiating this section. The CR's Mumbai Division has undertaken various infrastructure works to prevent this," said the CR official.

Over the next fortnight, several trains will be cancelled, short-terminated or diverted, which is likely to hit the passengers on these and other sectors.

There were at least half a dozen incidents of falling boulders and minor landslides on the Mumbai-Pune sector in the past few weeks since the onset of monsoon.

Though any major disaster was averted to passing trains below, the incidents nevertheless resulted in huge delays till the route was cleared and declared safe for train movement.

This crucial high traffic route serves Mumbai-Pune daily commuters, besides students, people working in the IT sector in both cities and tourists.

Among the major trains to be cancelled are the Deccan Express, Pragati Express, CSMT Mumbai-Gadag Express, Pune-Panvel passenger train.

As many as 10 trains including the Kolhapur-Mumbai Koyna Express, Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express will be operated only upto Pune, and will be cancelled between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharashtra Terminus-Pune sector.

The Hubbali-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express (Mumbai) will be run only upto Pune and return journey will commence from Pune to Hubbali.

The Hazur Sahib Nanded-Panvel Express shall be run till Pune and remain cancelled between Pune-Panvel and the return journey will commence from Pune.

In view of this, the passenger load is expected to shift to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Pune Highway which also witness traffic snarls, landslides, rolling boulders and occasion flooding in some sections.