Rail traffic restored at accident site of bullet train project in Gujarat

Segmental launching gantry skid at bullet train site near Ahmedabad lifted after 24 hours, restoring train movement.

A segmental launching gantry, which accidentally skid at a bullet train project site near Ahmedabad, was lifted after more than 24 hours, paving the way for train movement on an adjoining affected rail line, officials said on Tuesday (March 25, 2025).

The accident took place on Sunday (March 23, 2025) night at the worksite of the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) near Geratpur Vatva section of Ahmedabad division, which affected the adjoining railway track and caused Overhead Electric Equipment (OHE) to break down, impacting train movement, the Western Railway had said in its statement.

After the segmental launching gantry was lifted, the first train passed on the rail line at 5.36 am on Tuesday (March 25) an official from the Western Railway's Ahmedabad division said.

No casualty was reported in the incident, which took place around 11 p.m. on Sunday (March 23) at Vatva near here, but 38 trains were fully cancelled.

Seven other trains, including the Vande Bharat Express between Gandhinagar and Mumbai, Shatabdi Express between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, and Ekta Nagar-Ahmedabad heritage special trains, were partially cancelled, the official said.

"Lifting operations for the affected gantry was successfully completed (at 11.58 p.m. on Monday). The operation involved two 750-ton cranes, two 500-ton cranes, and a 130-ton capacity crane to remove the gantry beams," the NHSRCL, which is executing the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, said.

"The lifting process was meticulously planned and monitored to ensure safety of the structure and prevent any further damage to the adjoining railway line. The lifting operations are now complete and the railway line has been cleared for restoration work," it said.