Technical Glitch Diverts Vande Bharat Express to Kalyan Instead of Goa

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal (CSMT)-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express train faced a 90-minute delay on its journey to Goa after a technical problem forced it off its planned route.

The issue occurred at Diva station in Thane district, Maharashtra. Instead of heading towards Panvel station on the usual route for Konkan-bound trains, the train was diverted to Kalyan at 6:10 am. This also caused delays for local trains on Mumbai’s Central Railway line.

Swapnil Neela, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, explained that the problem was due to a signaling and communication fault at point number 103 between the Down Fast Line and the Fifth Line at Diva Junction. Trains from Diva Junction typically follow the route to Panvel, but the Vande Bharat Express mistakenly went to Kalyan.

At Kalyan station, the train arrived on platform six at 7:04 am. It was then reversed back to Diva station via the sixth line at 7:13 am and resumed its journey to Madgaon through the Diva-Panvel route. The train was halted at Diva Junction for about 35 minutes, from 6:10 am to 6:45 am, before continuing its trip.

The CSMT-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express, launched in June 2023, usually departs Mumbai at 5:25 am and reaches Goa by 1:10 pm. Railway officials noted that such issues are rare in Mumbai’s Suburban Automatic Signaling System.