Major Landslide Hits Mumbai-Pune's 'Missing Link'; Flooding And Diversions Trigger Long Traffic Jams

The Mumbai–Pune Expressway’s newly launched Missing Link project has been shut just months after its inauguration, following a rain-triggered landslide that has severely disrupted traffic and raised serious questions over infrastructure preparedness. The incident occurred early Monday morning near the exit of Tunnel 2, where heavy rainfall led to a landslide on the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway.As a precautionary measure, MSRDC diverted traffic from 4 am, rerouting vehicles through Lonavala. The diversion resulted in massive congestion, with commuters stranded for hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The Khandala Ghat stretch was also impacted due to waterlogging, further worsening the situation on one of India’s busiest expressways. The disruption extended beyond roadways, as relentless monsoon rains also hit rail connectivity between Mumbai and Pune. Several trains were cancelled and diverted due to landslides and flooding, compounding travel difficulties for thousands of passengers. Authorities have urged people to avoid non-essential travel until conditions improve.The Missing Link, inaugurated in May 2026, is a 13-kilometre bypass built at a cost of ₹6,695 crore through the Sahyadri hills. Designed to reduce travel distance by 6 kilometres and cut journey time by up to 30 minutes, the project was expected to ease congestion on the accident-prone Khandala Ghat section. However, the latest incident has triggered concerns over whether adequate drainage, slope stabilisation, and monsoon preparedness measures were in place, especially in a region known for intense and unpredictable rainfall.