Local services were unaffected, however some long-distance trains using the Konkan Railway route to connect the northern and southern regions of the country encountered delays.
Panvel, Maharashtra: In an incident on Saturday afternoon, five wagons of a goods train, including a brake van, derailed near Panvel railway station in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries in the accident. The train, carrying steel coils and consisting of 59 wagons, was traveling from Dolvi siding near Thal in Maharashtra to Meghnagar railway station in Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh. The derailment occurred in the Panvel railway station yard around 3:05 pm, disrupting operations on the Panvel-Diva route. While local services remained unaffected, several long-distance trains connecting the northern and southern parts of the country via the Konkan Railway route faced disruptions.
Immediate Response:
Railway authorities acted swiftly, relocating 54 of the train’s wagons to the Kalamboli yard. Efforts are underway to re-rail the derailed wagons. Approximately 300 meters of track have been damaged, and around 250 workers are diligently working to complete the restoration work by morning.
Train Diversions and Cancellations:
As a consequence of the derailment, the Madgaon-Panvel passenger train was partially canceled between Ratnagiri and Panvel, operating only between Madgaon and Ratnagiri. The Panvel-Khed passenger train was entirely canceled due to the issue. Several train routes were changed: the CSMT-Pune Pragati Express was rerouted via Kalyan-Karjat instead of its usual Panvel-Karjat route, and the Dadar-Hubballi Express was diverted via Kalyan-Karjat-Lonavala instead of the Panvel-Karjat-Lonavala route. The Panvel-Gorakhpur Express was rerouted via Panvel-Karjat-Lonavala-Pune-Daund-Manmad-Bhusawal route instead of the regular Panvel-Kalyan-Igatpuri-Manmad route. The Nizamuddin-Trivandrum Express was detained at Dativali station, and a Vasai-Panvel passenger train was detained at Kharbao station. Additionally, the Kochuveli-Indore Express, Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Express, and a Roha-Diva passenger train were detained at Somathane station.
Restoration Efforts and Passenger Train Movement:
To facilitate passenger train movement, the railway initiated a single-line pattern, allowing trains to cross over at the Panvel yard. The first train, Mangala Express, heading in the up direction towards Diva, was passed around 7:30 pm. Although the derailment caused temporary detentions of at least five passenger trains along the Konkan-Mumbai route, Navi Mumbai suburban services between the Panvel-CSMT section remained unaffected, as the derailment occurred on the Panvel-Kalamboli section, stated a railway official. Railway authorities enabled a common crossover (UP+DN) at the Panvel yard for temporary relief, allowing UP and DN trains to operate one by one between Panvel and Kalamboli with some delays.
“Restoration efforts are ongoing, with the removal of the five loaded wagons (4 wagons + 1 brake van) at the derailment spot in progress. We will continue to provide updates on this developing situation,” said an official.
