Goa-bound Vande Bharat takes 22km detour, 11km in reverse

MUMBAI: A signal failure at Diva junction on Monday forced a Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express train to take a 22km detour to get back on its route at Panvel station. The train was driven in reverse in the last 11km leg to Diva. The diversion caused an overall delay of over one-and-a-half hours, inconveniencing especially those headed for Goa for Christmas.

A senior railway official said the CSMT-Madgaon train (22229), departed at 5.25am, crossed Thane station and stopped at Diva junction at 6.10am owing to the signal failure. Two mail/express trains and a suburban train were stranded behind the Vande Bharat. "While it waited for 35 minutes, the Vande Bharat train was unable to cross/change tracks from the down fast line (third line) to the fifth line—from where trains bound for Konkan proceed to Panvel station," said a Central Railway official, adding that the train was given permission to take a detour via Kalyan. Another official said this decision was taken to prevent additional delays. "This ensured that passengers were not stranded for a longer duration."

After reaching Kalyan station, the train was driven in reverse, which was possible since it has driving units at both ends. "It then proceeded towards Diva, from where it took a loop line to head towards Panvel station. This, however, delayed the train journey by another hour," the official said.

CR chief PRO Swapnil Nila said the priority behind allowing a detour and the reverse run was to recover every lost minute. He said a failure in the signalling and telecommunications system at point 103, between the down fast line and the fifth line at Diva junction, triggered the diversions and delays, adding that its cause is being investigated.

Vande Bharat takes 7 hours and 45 minutes to complete its journey without any disruptions. The Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat operates six days a week. Sources in CR said on Monday afternoon that the train was running one and a half hours late while it reached Madgaon.


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