On Monday, at least 27 trains traveling through Ahmedabad were either fully or partially canceled due to an incident involving a specialized mobile gantry crane used in the construction of an elevated viaduct for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train project. The crane skidded from its position and fell near the railway tracks beneath it, according to official reports.
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) reported that the incident occurred around 11 PM on Sunday (March 23) while the segmental launching gantry was retracting after placing a concrete girder. During this operation, it unexpectedly lost its balance.
“This incident has impacted the nearby railway line. Senior officials from NHSRCL are currently on-site. Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries and no damage to the erected structure,” the statement from NHSRCL clarified.
As a result of the crane’s collapse at the NHSRCL construction site, there was a breakdown of the overhead equipment responsible for supplying power to the electric trains between the Geratpur and Vatva sections of the Ahmedabad division. This disruption affected train movements on the downline, prompting the Railways to start clearing down trains on the functional up line beginning at 1 AM on Monday.
Among the trains that were fully canceled are the 12934/12933 Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Karnavati Express, the 12931/32 Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Double Decker Express, the 19033/34 Ahmedabad-Mumbai Gujarat Queen, the 22953/54 Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Gujarat Express, and others, including the 20959/60 Valsad Intercity Express and the 19418 Vatva-Borivali Express. Additionally, the 20901/02 Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat and the 12009/10 Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express have been partially canceled, terminating at Vadodara railway junction. The 19309 Ahmedabad-Indore Shanti Express has been partially canceled between Ahmedabad and Anand, and the 20935 Gandhidham-Indore Superfast Express has been canceled between Gandhidham and Nadiad stations. The 09410 Ekta Nagar-Ahmedabad Heritage special train has also been partially canceled between Kanjari Boriyavi and Ahmedabad stations.
In total, five trains have been rescheduled while six others have been redirected, according to sources from Western Railway.
