Mumbai: 

 A segmental launching gantry used for construction at a bullet train project site near Ahmedabad accidentally skid from its position and affected the adjoining railway line, disrupting the movement of several trains, officials said on Monday. No casualty was reported in the incident, which took place around 11 pm on Sunday at Vatva near here, nor did it cause any damage to the erected structure, the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) said.

The incident, however, affected rail traffic, leading to at least 25 trains being cancelled, while 15 others were partially cancelled, five rescheduled and six were diverted, an official from the Ahmedabad railway division said. Efforts were on to clear the railway line so as to facilitate the movement of trains on the affected line, railway officials said.

“On 23/03/2025, around 11 PM, one of the Segmental Launching gantry used for viaduct construction in Vatva (near Ahmedabad) was retracting after completing launching of concrete girder. It accidentally skid from its position,” the NHSRCL said in a statement.

A NHSRCL official said efforts were underway for restoration with the help of heavy duty road cranes. Several trains were either fully or partially terminated, and some rescheduled due to the incident, a railway official said.

“This has affected the adjoining railway line in the vicinity. Senior NHSRCL officials are already at site along with police and fire services officials monitoring the situation. No casualties have been reported. There has been no damage to the structure erected,” it said.

The cancelled trains included Vatva-Borivali Express, Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Express, Vadodara-Vatva Intercity, Ahmedabad-Valsad Gujarat Queen, Jamnagar-Vadodara Intercity, Vadnagar-Valsad-Vadnagar Express and Vatva-Anand MEMU.

As per the Ahmedabad railway division official, the incident affected rail traffic on the down line between Vatva and Ahmedabad stations. As many as 25 trains were fully cancelled, 15 partially cancelled, five were rescheduled and six diverted so far, he said.

The Ahmedabad-MGR Chennai Central Humsafar Express, Rajkot-Secunderabad Express and some other trains were rescheduled. The railway authorities also issued a helpline number for passengers.

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