Passenger Lashes Out As Tejas Express Gets Cancelled Midway, Railways Responds

A passenger travelling on a Mumbai-Ahmedabad bound train allegedly had a harrowing experience after the train got cancelled midway due to heavy rain across Gujarat. Associate Professor Prithwiraj Mukherjee shared his ordeal on X detailing how he and other passengers on Tejas Express were stranded at Vadodara junction for several hours without any official intimation. The post was shared today, August 27, and social media users have flooded the comments section with varied reactions.

In a thread, Prithwiraj mentioned, “I am on the Tejas Express 82901. Due to rain, the train has been cancelled at Vadodara. No official intimation. Just the AC switched off. While rain has affected service, the Vande Bharat, which ran parallel to us, has reached Ahmedabad. We are left to our devices. Vadodara is flooded. There is nowhere to go. There are senior citizens and kids on this train.”

The passenger also alleged ‘preferential treatment’ to Vande Bharat train. He shared that a Vande Bharat Express train, which was running parallel to Tejas Express, had reached Ahmedabad earlier, questioning, “If the Vande Bharat can go from Vadodara to Ahmedabad, why can’t other trains?”

Elaborating further, the X user described the situation onboard and wrote, “No official has come to address us. They have just switched off the ac and left, hoping we crawl out in suffocation. Some people have managed to open the auto-closing door and block it open so we can breathe.”

He went on to inform that the situation escalated when some passengers circled around a few officers, who then agreed to help them reach Ahmedabad. By that time, ACs were switched but people from other canceled trains jumped inside Tejas Express, creating a chaotic environment.

Raging on the railways, the associate professor added, “Faults can happen. My biggest anger was the way we were treated. They literally tried to smoke us out of the compartment by turning off the AC. Also, if the fault was so severe, how did the Vande Bharat reach Ahmedabad? Are other passengers’ lesser humans than Vande Bharat passengers?”

The passenger provided real-time updates, slamming the railways for lack of clarity and poor management. In another post, he informed that the train was at the Vadodara station till 6 am, and eventually everyone was told to board another train. He wrote, “0612. Everyone was suddenly told to board another train to Ahmedabad. Mad rush. Boarded.”

The viral post even reached the official account of Railway Seva who issued a clarification. “Water was flowing above the track, Vande Bharat higher clearance and advanced prevention of water ingress into the electrical equipment allowed this train to run in deep water, even more than 200 MM water above the track. Other locomotives of trains (other than Vande Bharat) don’t have such clearance and can’t be operated after the water level above track is more than 150 mm,” railways noted.

“We request you to please share the journey details (PNR/UTS No.) and mobile no. with us, preferably via DM. You may also raise your concern directly on railmadad.indianrailways.gov.in or dial 139 for speedy redressal,” they added.

The post saw hundreds of comments by X users expressing concerns. “Scary! It takes one day of heavy rain to bring all our fault lines to the fore. Vadodara did experience almost unprecedented heavy rainfall today. But Railways is expected to be prepared for this situation. Frequent communication is essential to avoid panic in passengers,” said a person.

Another concerned user added, “I hope this painful journey ends on a good note and you reach home safely.” “Sorry for your ordeal. Hope you reached Ahd. Take care,” said an individual.