India, June 25 -- The season's first spell of rain exposed glaring gaps in the railways' monsoon preparedness on Wednesday, as delays, cancellations and overcrowding disrupted suburban train networks across all three corridors- Central, Western and Harbour Lines.

An overnight downpour on Tuesday turned into a difficult morning commute for millions of passengers as local train services were delayed by up to 20 minutes across the network, leading to overcrowding on platforms and packed train compartments during peak hours.

The worst impact was felt on the Trans-Harbour corridor, where services between Turbhe and Koparkhairane stations remained suspended on both the up and down lines for nearly two hours in the morning. Although train oper...