Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express derails at Pune station; all passengers safe

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 28 : A potential disaster was averted on Tuesday evening when a coach of the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat Express derailed while navigating a complex "diamond crossing" at the entrance of Pune Station.

At approximately 19:30, as Train No. 22225 was pulling into the Pune Station platform, one trolley of the fourth coach slipped off the tracks. Passengers reported a sudden jolt followed by an immediate halt.

All passengers remained uninjured. Preliminary reports point to the Diamond Crossing, a specific track geometry where two rail lines intersect at an angle, forming a diamond shape.

"The train was moving at a crawling pace. Suddenly, there was a break in momentum and the train derailed. The loco pilot quickly announced the situation, and we were told to move toward the engine," shared a passenger on board.

"I was coming to Pune from Vande Bharat... The train started to go at a speed of 20kmph. Before the Pune station, there was a break and then the train derailed... The loco pilot announced that the train had derailed... Everyone is safe," said a passenger of the Solapur Vande Bharat train.

"The arrival time of the train was 7. 10 PM... We kept waiting for an hour but the train did not reach the station. Later, they made an announcement to come towards the engine...," said another passenger.

Meanwhile, CPRO Central Railways confirmed no injury to any passengers. All passengers are safe. Shifting of passengers to another rake is planned for the convenience of the passengers.

To minimise further delay and discomfort, Central Railways (CR) mobilised resources immediately. A separate rake (train set) was arranged to transport passengers to Solapur. Officials guided passengers from the stranded coach to the new rake to ensure the journey could continue with minimal friction.

The derailment has served as a wake-up call for railway infrastructure safety. The Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Central Railways confirmed that while the Pune crossing was already slated for an upgrade under the yard remodelling plan, the timeline has now been accelerated.

The diamond crossing at Pune Station is to be replaced with standard, more stable track configurations immediately. Orders have been issued to identify and replace all non-standard diamond crossings across the Indian Railways network. Pune station's layout will undergo rapid restructuring to prevent such technical failures in the future.

In railway engineering, a diamond crossing allows two tracks to cross each other at the same level. They are notorious for being high-maintenance and prone to wear, often requiring trains to maintain strictly low speeds (v<=20 km/h) to ensure the wheel flange does not "jump" the gap at the intersection.

Railway authorities are present at the site, and further investigation into the incident is underway.

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