Derailment on Konkan Railway delays Goa-Mumbai Tejas Express on day 1

Derailment of a utility track vehicle train on the Konkan Railway. Pic/Charushila Shelar

The derailment of a utility track vehicle train on the Konkan Railway between Diwankhavti and Khed stations in Ratnagiri region early on Sunday morning affected other services, including the Goa-Mumbai Tejas train, for the most part of the day.

Partial services on the route were restored at 6:57 am and complete services were restored by later afternoon and the track fit certificate was issued at 3:47 pm.

Also Read: Lorry Slips And Falls Off Konkan Railway's Ro-Ro Train, No Injuries

A number of trains had to be detained (regulated in railway terms) and the Goa-Mumbai Tejas Express was delayed (rescheduled in railway terms). The Tejas Express, which was scheduled to leave at 2:40 pm was pushed four hours back to 6:40 pm.

Commuters said no proper updates were provided at railway stations and on social media. The first tweet alert of the early morning accident was put up after five hours post 12 noon and later commuters tagged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Twitter, seeking updates. "Sir, can we get an update? We are stuck for the past five hours," tweeted commuter Tushar Parab.

Also Read: Month After Collapse, Troublesome Konkan Tunnel Up And Running

"How long will it take for service to resume? No proper announcements, information passed on to passengers. Stuck on 01113 Madgaon CSMT special train at Kolad station since six hours," tweeted another commuter Vanessa Fernandes.

However, senior Konkan Railway officials denied any lapses and said that public announcements at stations were activated and verified. When asked about the delay in informing on social media, officials said it was just one wheel of one utility vehicle that had gone off the track and we were expecting restoration in an hour. "Unnecessary alerts on social media lead to panic in this festival season when crowds are in large numbers. However, a few other complications while restoration led to further delays and that's when we took to social media to alert commuters that there could be regulations and rescheduling," said the officials.

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