The semi-high-speed train, originally scheduled to cover the 898 km Sabarmati–Ajmer–Jaipur–Gurgaon route in about 15 hours, was stranded near Mehsana shortly after departure in a case of the wrong train on the wrong route
It was a basic technical mismatch that should have been checked before deployment, said an official. Representational Pic/File
In a major operational embarrassment for Indian Railways, the Sabarmati–Gurgaon Vande Bharat special (09401), operated by Western Railway late Sunday evening, ended up clocking the longest-ever journey for the premium train — nearly 1,400 km in 28 hours — but for all the wrong reasons.
For now, it stands as a case study in how small lapses in planning can derail the promise of India’s flagship semi-high-speed train.
The semi-high-speed train, originally scheduled to cover the 898 km Sabarmati–Ajmer–Jaipur–Gurgaon route in about 15 hours, was stranded near Mehsana shortly after departure when officials discovered that the rake allotted lacked a high-reach pantograph, mandatory for the high-rise overhead equipment (OHE) sections on that stretch — a case of the wrong train on the wrong route.
On Indian Railways, especially in the Western Railway zone (WR), freight corridors carry double-stack container trains. These trains need extra vertical clearance. Standard overhead wires (OHE), which are generally about 5.5 m above rail level, are too low for such tall trains. So, high-rise OHE is installed, where the contact wire height is raised up to 7.45 m (instead of the usual 5.5 m). This allows double-stack container movement under electric traction without touching the wires.
With no option for the train to continue on the planned alignment, railway authorities hastily diverted the service via Ahmedabad–Udaipur–Kota–Jaipur–Mathura, a significantly longer route. The train, which departed Sabarmati around 6 pm, has since been crawling across western and northern India, leaving passengers weary and frustrated.
“This was a basic technical mismatch that should have been checked before deployment. Running a Vande Bharat on a high-rise OHE section without a high-reach pantograph was never possible,” a senior railway official admitted off the record.
The diversion has unintentionally created history: no Vande Bharat rake has ever operated such a long distance in a single run. But behind the record lies passenger inconvenience, operational chaos, and questions of accountability.
Despite the massive disruption, no action has been announced against any officials responsible for the oversight. Passengers, meanwhile, bore the brunt of a journey nearly twice as long as advertised, undermining the very premise of the Vande Bharat as a fast, efficient alternative.
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