Pune: A coach of Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express derailed while entering Pune station around 7.15pm on Monday, blocking the main line between Mumbai and Pune. No one was injured. Eight to nine train arrivals were affected.One Vande Bharat passenger said they had to sit in the train for over 90 minutes before being told to disembark. Thereafter, travellers had to walk along the tracks for around 600m with their heavy bags to reach the platforms. This is the first derailment of a coach of Vande Bharat trains, a railway official from Delhi confirmed. “The derailment occurred because of the non-standard diamond crossings at the Pune yard,” the official said.A diamond crossing is a railway intersection where two tracks cross each other at an angle, forming a diamond shape allowing trains to pass from multiple directions.Hemant Kumar Behera, divisional commercial manager and PRO of Pune railway division, said, a part of C-15 coach of CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat Express (22225) derailed. “The train’s engine had just entered platform number 3 when the coach derailed,” he said.“The train had food, but passengers were taken to platforms 2 and 3. Restoration works are on,” Behera said. Another official said, “One line from Pune to Mumbai is operational. Eight-nine trains are running late on the route. More trains can get delayed.” Central Railway’s chief PRO Swapnil Nila said, “The diamond crossing will be replaced on priority. Similar non-standard diamond crossings are being replaced across Indian Railways.”
