The Vande Bharat train, which was scheduled to travel from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Maharaj Terminal to Margao, encountered an unexpected issue during its journey. Instead of heading towards Panvel, the train mistakenly took a turn towards Kalyan in Thane, Maharashtra.
This sudden change in direction caused quite a stir among railway officials who were alerted to the situation. They quickly sprang into action, redirecting the train back to Kalyan station before eventually sending it on its way to Margao.
Unfortunately, this mishap resulted in the train arriving at its destination a staggering 90 minutes late.
Technical Glitch Behind the Incident
Railway officials later clarified that the train’s detour was due to a signal failure. The Vande Bharat was supposed to follow the route towards Diva Panvel, but it veered off course just before reaching Diva station around 6 am.
The Central Railway’s PRO explained that the issue stemmed from a technical glitch in the telecommunication system connecting the Down Fast Line with the Fifth Line. Such incidents are quite rare, but when they do happen, they can lead to significant disruptions in train services.
Impact on Local Train Services
The technical glitch not only affected the Vande Bharat train but also had a ripple effect on local train services in Mumbai. Once the fault was identified, the train was brought to Kalyan station and later redirected to Diva before finally heading towards Madgaon.
This chain of events caused delays for many commuters relying on local trains. The Vande Bharat train, which was introduced on the CSMT Madgaon line in June 2023, typically departs from Mumbai at 5:25 am and reaches Goa Madgaon by 1:10 pm.
Despite this setback, railway officials reassured passengers that such occurrences are uncommon and they are continuously working to improve the reliability of train services.
